Qantas today signed a commercial agreement with China Eastern Airlines.

Under the arrangement, each airline will codeshare on two of the other’s three weekly return flights between Australia and China from the middle of the year.

As a result Qantas will offer its customers five services per week from Sydney to Shanghai, with two of these continuing to Beijing.

Qantas will place its QF flight designator on China Eastern’s Airbus 340 flights on Monday and Wednesday from Sydney to Shanghai and Beijing, returning from Beijing via Shanghai to Sydney on Monday and Friday.

China Eastern Airlines will place its MU flight designator on Qantas flights on Tuesday and Thursday from Sydney to Shanghai, returning from Shanghai to Sydney on Thursday and Saturday.

Qantas Chief Executive, James Strong, and China Eastern Airlines President, Li Zhongming, signed the agreement at an official ceremony at Qantas headquarters in Sydney.

President Li said he looked forward to a long and productive relationship between the two airlines.

“We will be working very closely with our colleagues at Qantas to develop the growth of traffic in both directions between China and Australia.”

Mr Strong said that the codeshare would enable Qantas to offer its passengers a wider range of services between Australia and China.

“This agreement, coming after Australia’s recent appointment as the first approved western destination for Chinese holiday-makers, will also enable the carriers to provide an improved service to these new travellers.

“Qantas is well positioned to help grow the travel market between the two countries after the signing of this agreement,” he added.

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