China Eastern Airlines enters new era

China Eastern Airlines has embarked on a new phase in its history, having welcomed its first long-haul aircraft adorned with a new brand identity.

The brand new Boeing 777-300ER aircraft touched down in Shanghai this week, becoming the first of 20 new twin-aisle aircraft ordered by China Eastern and the first in its fleet to carry its new livery and logo.

“We are delighted to introduce our first 777-300ER in China Eastern’s new look,” said the carrier’s chairman, Liu Shaoyong. “The delivery not only marks a milestone in the long-standing business relationship between China Eastern and Boeing, but also signals the modernisation of our world-class fleet and the enhancement of the competitiveness of our trans-Pacific routes.”

China Eastern will operate its new B777-300ERs on routes between China and North America, which the airline expects to be a major growth market over the next three years. The Shanghai-based carrier plans to open new trans-Pacific routes and also boost frequencies on existing routes from Shanghai to Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, Vancouver and Toronto.

This first new aircraft will enter commercial service in November 2014, operating flights to Los Angeles and New York.

In terms of design, China Eastern has used the arrival of this new fleet of long-haul aircraft to update its branding. In a change to its 25-year-old livery, the new look features a plain white fuselage with the company name written boldly down the side, in English and Chinese. The updated logo retains the airline’s ‘swallow’ motif, but with a new modern look.

China Eastern has configured its new B777-300ER with three cabins, including six seats in first class, 52 in business class and 258 in economy.

The new B777s will be used to update China Eastern’s long-range fleet, replacing its aging fleet of Airbus A340s. Along with the new B777s, China Eastern also has outstanding orders for more than 120 short-range aircraft, including Airbus A320s, Boeing 737s and COMAC C919s.