China Eastern Airlines is ready to begin twice-weekly flights from Shanghai to Honolulu on Aug. 9, the Hawaii Tourism Authority says.
The second biggest airline in China and one of the top 10 carriers worldwide, China Eastern is the first airline to actually set a date for long-sought direct service from China.
A smaller Chinese carrier, Hainan Airlines, which has flights to Seattle, said two years ago it would fly to Hawaii from Beijing, but no date was ever set and the service has never begun.
China Eastern needs regulatory approval from U.S. officials in Washington, D.C., but tourism marketing officials in Honolulu said Wednesday they do not anticipate any problem getting that approval in time.
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China Eastern Airlines (SSE: 600115 SEHK: 0670 NYSE: CEA) is an airline headquartered on the grounds of Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport in Changning District, Shanghai, China.
It is a major Chinese airline operating international, domestic and regional routes. Its main hubs are at Shanghai Pudong International Airport and Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport. China Eastern also has hubs at Kunming Wujiaba International Airport and Xi’an Xianyang International Airport.
China Eastern Airlines is China’s second-largest carrier by passenger numbers and the world’s third-biggest carriers by market value. On 16 April 2010, China Eastern Airlines announced an initial agreement to join SkyTeam.
In 2010, China Eastern Airlines carried 64.93 million domestic and international passengers with an average load factor of 78%. The airline reported a net profit of CNY5.3 billion ($807 million) in 2010.
