China Eastern Adds New Links To Australia, New Zealand, Singapore

China Eastern Airlines is set to expand its network in Australia, New Zealand, and Singapore with the introduction of new routes from the Chinese cities of Hangzhou and Jinan.

Hangzhou, the capital of China’s Zhejiang province with a population of around 12 million, will see the addition of connections to Auckland, Singapore, and Sydney, starting from the winter 2023-24 season. This expansion will bring the total number of international destinations served by the airline from Hangzhou to seven.

The inaugural flight from Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport (HGH) to Singapore Changi Airport (SIN) is scheduled to commence on Oct. 29. According to data from OAG Schedules Analyser, this 2,266-mi. (1,969-nm) route will operate twice a week using Airbus A320 aircraft, providing competition for Scoot’s existing 5X-weekly flights.

China Eastern’s international network from Hangzhou will continue to expand on Nov. 5 when service to Auckland, New Zealand, begins. The airline will offer a nonstop 2X-weekly connection to Auckland International Airport (AKL) on Thursdays and Sundays, utilizing A330-200 aircraft.

Furthermore, Oceania connectivity will see further growth from Nov. 7 with the launch of a triangular route connecting Hangzhou, Sydney, and Auckland. This service will operate twice a week on Tuesdays and Saturdays, also using A330-200 equipment.

Currently, China Eastern offers a single daily service to AKL from Shanghai Pudong International Airport (PVG). Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport (SYD) is also served from PVG with 11X-weekly flights, while the carrier operates 3X-weekly flights to Sydney from Nanjing and offers a 3X-weekly Xi’an-Wuhan-Sydney route.

From Jinan, the capital of China’s Shandong province, China Eastern is introducing two new international routes to Singapore and Sydney. Nonstop flights to SIN are scheduled to commence from Oct. 29, followed by services to SYD starting Nov. 11. OAG data indicates that SIN will receive four A320 flights per week, while SYD will be served by three A330-200 services.

The latest international growth comes less than two weeks after the airline opened a new route linking PVG and Istanbul Airport (IST) with three flights per week aboard A330-200s. The move came after China Eastern announced an agreement with Turkish Airlines to cooperate more closely.