A fruitful meeting between Turkish Airlines and China Eastern Airlines took place in China, Shanghai, and a Memorandum of Understanding was signed, marking a significant progress in the relationship between the two valued airlines.
Chinese carriers’ intention to operate flights to İstanbul is one of the major indicators of the post-pandemic recovery of the Türkiye-Mainland China market. China Eastern Airlines joins the airlines that are operating flights between Türkiye-Mainland China. The inaugural flight of China Eastern Airlines is operated on September 28th 2023, on Shanghai-Istanbul route. Turkish Airlines currently operates weekly 7 frequencies on the same route and China Eastern Airlines will operate weekly 3 frequencies.

During the meeting in Shanghai, it was agreed to improve and expand the cooperation between the airlines in line with China Eastern Airlines’ flights between Shanghai-Istanbul. In this respect, the efficiency of the existing Special Proration Agreement (SPA) between the two partners will be enhanced and it was indicated that further major steps will be taken once the necessary authorizations are obtained from the relevant authorities.

Both airlines are pleased that the benefits to be obtained from the cooperation will be maximized with the extensive network of both Turkish Airlines and China Eastern Airlines.

On the agreement, Turkish Airlines CEO Bilal Ekşi, stated; “As Turkish Airlines one of the biggest actors in the world of aviation, we will not limit ourselves to our already world class network and collaborations in order to continue our 90 years journey of success from boutique to the top. Our operations to People’s Republic of China continue with 7 weekly frequencies each in Shanghai, Guangzhou and Beijing. In addition to our direct flights, we will continue to take the necessary actions to ensure our growth in the Chinese market in line with several cooperation with our valued partners in the region. As underlined by the Memorandum of Understanding which we signed today with China Eastern Airlines, Turkish Airlines will continue to be a leading airline that always seeks to push ever upwards.”

Li Yangmin, CEO of China Eastern Airlines, declared that; “The opening of China Eastern Airlines air service from Pudong, Shanghai to Istanbul, Türkiye, will further facilitate trade and personnel movement between the two countries. China Eastern Airlines and Turkish Airlines have a good foundation for cooperation. With the opening of this air service and the signing of the memorandum, the space for future cooperation between the two sides will be broader. We look forward to strengthening communication and exchanges between the two sides and cooperating in the fields of domestic and international transit, ground services and networks to jointly create a better future for both sides.”