China Means Home, Now and Forever: Italian Captain of China Eastern Airlines

“Wuhan is the home of all my family members. To us, China means home, the present, and future,” said Diego Benedetto, an Italian captain of China Eastern Airlines (China Eastern), expressing good wishes to Wuhan, once the hardest-hit Chinese city by the COVID-19.

Since he came to Wuhan three years ago, Benedetto has soon found the city featuring both convenient modern facilities and traditional culture fascinating. While searching the streets and alleys for delicious snacks and strolling along bustling pedestrian streets, he developed a deep affinity for the new home.

When the sudden outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic inflicted sufferings on the city, Benedetto was as anxious as all the Wuhan citizens, and at the same time felt strongly that he must do something to help bring the city back to normal.

And he did.

China Eastern Airlines takes ‘Clear Your Plate’ initiative in to the skies

“Wow! You finished all your food. Well done, little handsome,” a stewardess said to a little boy on flight MU5427 of China Eastern Airlines (China Eastern) on August 18. The praise aroused a round of warm applause from other passengers.

The occasion described above was actually a common scene on flights of China Eastern since the company actively joined the nationwide “Clear Your Plate” initiative 2.0 against food waste in China with actual practice.

China Eastern has asked flight attendants to verbally remind passengers to not waste food and take only what they need, and added labels with the words “‘Clear Your Plate’ initiative” onto the packages of in-flight meals.

World’s First CIIE-Themed Airplane Launched by China Eastern Airlines Arrives in London

The first China International Import Expo (CIIE)-themed aeroplane departed from Shanghai and arrived at Heathrow Airport in London Thursday.

The special CIIE-themed aircraft was jointly launched by China Eastern Airlines (China Eastern) and China International Import Expo Bureau. Its maiden flight was completed on July 4, when the plane flew from Shanghai to Paris. London is the second destination of the aeroplane’s global tour.

A Boeing 777-300ER jet, which is China Eastern’s international long-haul flagship aircraft, was chosen as the world’s first CIIE-themed aeroplane.

China Eastern Rolls Out New Unlimited Flights Package

Photo China Eastern 

Having seen the overwhelmingly positive market feedback of its ticket discount package “fly at will on weekends”, China Eastern Airlines on August 11, 2020, launched another package targeting consumers who fly on weekdays.

Priced at 3,456 yuan (423 EUR), the new package allows users to enjoy unlimited flights to any destination in the Chinese mainland on weekdays before 8am and after 8pm. The package is valid for 180 days.

Given that COVID-19 is now under control in China , China Eastern on June 18 launched a product priced at 3322 (406 EUR) that allows customers to take flights to any destination in the Chinese mainland during weekends until the end of this year. Afterwards, other airlines in China followed this step and launched similar products.

The ARJ21 arrives for China's big three!

Photo COMAC

The Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC) has announced the delivery of three brand new ARJ21 aircraft to three of China's biggest airlines in a special joint delivery ceremony.

The ARJ21 first entered commercial operations around four years ago and is China’s first home-produced commercial passenger jet.  ARJ21 aircraft is a new turbofan regional jet independently developed by China and thus far a total of 28 ARJ21 aircraft have been delivered to and operated by three commercial customers including Chengdu Airlines, Genghis Khan Airlines and Jiangxi Air. Up to now, ARJ21 aircraft have successively operated in more than 55 routes in more than 55 cities in the regions such as North China, Northeast China and Southwest China, and carried more than 860,000 passengers.

Air China, China Eastern Airlines and China Southern Airlines have now received the aircraft, which has a seating capacity of between 78 to 90 and a range of 2,225 to 3,700 kilometres.

Earlier this month COMAC confirmed an order for 100 aircraft, split between the ARJ21 and larger C919 models from China Express Airlines, with deliveries for the smaller aircraft to start towards the end of this year.

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President Trump to ban Chinese Airlines from flying into the US

   

                In a move likely to cause major retaliation and tension, the US President Donald Trump has instigated a travel ban on Chinese passenger aircraft from flying to the United States from 16th June.

Tensions are simmering away to an almost boiling point between the two nations, as the US wants to put pressure on China to allow US airlines to restart air services.  The stance by the U.S. Department of Transportation under Trump's instruction is aimed at penalizing China for what the U.S. says is failing to comply with an existing agreement on flights between the two countries. 

This order applies to Sichuan Airline, Air China, China Southern Airlines, China Eastern Airlines, Hainan Airlines and  Xiamen Airlines.

The Trump administration accused the Chinese government of making it impossible for U.S. airlines to resume service to China and ordered four Chinese carriers to file flight schedules with the U.S. government.

HNA asks China's Hainan government for help

HNA Group has asked the government of China’s province of Hainan to lead a work group dedicated to resolving its increasing liquidity risks after a slowdown in business caused by the coronavirus outbreak.



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HNA Group is not able to thoroughly deal with liquidity risks itself, the company said in a post on its official WeChat account on Saturday, news agency Reuters reports. 

HNA directly owns or holds stakes in a number of local Chinese carriers, including Hainan Airlines, and is among many companies pressured by the coronavirus outbreak that has forced widespread flight cancellations.

The work group is being led by Gu Gang, chairman of Hainan Development Holdings Co., an investment arm of the government of the southern province, the WeChat post said.

Officials from the Hainan Yangpu Economic Development Zone, the Civil Aviation Administration of China’s Central and Southern Regional Administration and China Development Bank are also involved in the work team, HNA said.

Air Canada & WestJet suspend financial forecasts in the wake of the 737 Max grounding

Photo WestJet

Earlier this week the Canadian airline WestJet issued an advance notice that its finances will be hit by the grounding of the Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft.  The airline said it was suspending all 2019 financial guidance it issued last year as well as in February 2019 because of the costs incurred by the enforced grounded of the type.

WestJet enacted its contingency plan immediately and grounded all thirteen of its 737 MAX aircraft within 55 minutes of Transport Canada's order with only three MAX aircraft outside of its Canadian jurisdiction. The firm says it continues to implement and execute its contingency plan to minimise passenger disruption, however, it will only be able to cover approximately 75 per cent of the flights scheduled for 737 max aircraft with other aircraft.

Photo Air Canada

Air Canada has a fleet of 24 737 Max aircraft which it has grounded and had been expecting six more to arrive during March and April, but those new deliveries are currently suspended.  The airline has revised its schedule in both the short and medium term - it expects the 737 Max to be out of operation until at least 1st July. Whilst the airline has changed to different types of aircraft and chartered in aircraft from other operators such as Air Transat. It has been forced to cut some routes completely, including  Halifax and St. John's to London Heathrow and Vancouver to Kona, Lihue and Calgary-Palm Springs. Air Canada has also withdrawn its financial predictions for 2019 and beyond because of the grounding. 

China Eastern receives first of 20 A350-900

China Eastern Airlines has received its first of 20 A350-900 aeroplanes at Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport. Equipped with China Eastern's latest passenger service system, this new generation flagship model promises to redefine intercontinental air travel with its advanced capabilities.

The introduction of the new aeroplane, which is more spacious, greener and quieter than previous models, is part of efforts by the Shanghai-based airlines to meet the diversified demand for a high-quality travel experience in the air.

The cabin of China Eastern's first A350-900 is divided into three parts -- a business class section with 40 seats, including four premium business seats, a super economy class area with 32 seats, and 216 economy class seats.

The first A350-900 for China Eastern Airlines has performed its maiden flight in Toulouse,

Earlier this week the first A350-900 for China Eastern Airlines has performed its maiden flight in Toulouse, France. That aircraft will now enter the final phase of production, ground checks and test flights before being prepared for delivery in the coming weeks.

China Eastern Airlines currently operates an Airbus fleet of 363 aircraft, including 305 A320 Family aircraft and 58 A330 Family aircraft and has 20 A350-900s on order.

The aircraft is bringing new levels of efficiency and comfort in the long-range market, the A350 Family is especially well suited to the needs of Asia-Pacific airlines. To date, A350 Family firm orders from carriers in the region represent over a third of total sales for the type.

New Sabre technology enables proactive approach to China Eastern's fare setting strategy

One of the leading technology providers to the global travel industry, The Sabre Corporation, announced this week that long-term partner China Eastern is the first airline to adopt Strategic Fare Analyser, a new Sabre technology developed from a close collaboration between China Eastern and the Sabre Operations Research and Data Science Consulting team. With no comparable solution available in the market, Strategic Fare Analyser can assist decision makers at any airline in evaluating different fare strategies and their estimated impacts.

Headquartered in Shanghai, China Eastern Air is among China’s three major air transportation groups. Currently, it operates a fleet of over 600 aircraft, with an average age of around 5.5 years, making it one of the youngest fleets in major airlines in the world.  The carrier is a member of the SkyTeam global alliance and it serves over 100 million passengers globally and ranks 7th in the world. China Eastern Air has a vast network, reaching 1,052 destinations in 177 countries and it continues to grow. 

(Photo China Eastern Air)

Love can cost you your job at China Eastern Airlines

Love can cost you a lot, including your job if you work for China Eastern Airlines!

Back in May, a flight attendant for the airline was working on a China Eastern flight, when around 30 minutes into the flight, the attendant's boyfriend gets down on one knee and proposes to her.  Her answer seems obvious as the pair embrace and kiss and the passengers in the cabin applauded.

 Love is in the air, you might think, but this happy union that sounds a little like a fairytale, but this one doesn't have a happy ever after.   Last week, the cabin crew member was fired by China Eastern Airlines, according to local media Asia One, in a letter. 

The airline issued her a termination notice because they say her actions - in accepting a marriage proposal caused her to “neglected passenger safety” and that the “private romantic behaviour caused turmoil among passengers” and was “extremely irresponsible for the safety of passengers”.

In a video, shared widely on local social media, passengers can be seen filming the proposal and applauding the happy couple and the fasten seatbelt sign is off. Therefore it is unclear how the cabin crew member had put passenger safety at risk. Video below.

China Eastern to launch Gatwick flight

China Eastern Airlines confirmed recently that it will launch a service to London Gatwick from Shanghai Pu Dong this coming December.  The airline says the route will be operated three times a week, with flights scheduled for Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays. The airline will deploy an Airbus A330-200 to the route which will start flying from 7th December. 

The Gatwick route is in addition to the Shanghai Pu Dong – London Heathrow service it has scheduled with a Boeing 777 aircraft. 

Chinese flights scrapped in Taiwan row

Tensions are mounting again in the skies between China and Taiwan as two Chinese airlines have halted flights between China and Taiwan, as the row between Beijing and Taipei over access to air routes intensifies.

Both China Eastern and Xiamen Airlines had planned to operate an extra 176 round trips over the Lunar New Year holiday period. However, Taipei has refused to authorise the flights, for which tens of thousands of people had already bought tickets.

It is a position that could potentially leave hundreds of passengers stranded as they try to get home for what is considered to be the biggest holiday of the year. According to press statements from both airlines, they say they had no other choice other than to halt the flights. 

Aviation commentators indicate that refusal to agree to those extra flights is a retaliation from Taiwan after China opened up several new air routes that both China Eastern and Xiamen Airlines had been taking advantage of. Taiwanese authorities state China's actions risked flight safety as well as going against a deal to discuss such flight paths before they came into operation, that had been agreed in 2015

Those new routes have included a contentious northbound route 'M503' which proceeds along the Taiwan Strait which divides China from the self-ruling island.

Beijing however, insists they had every right to open up the routes, including M503, which it said was "designed by China in cooperation with the United States and other countries" in 2007. They also said they had notified Taipei of the planned routes to avoid any safety issues. 

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