Summary
- China Eastern announces new direct link between Hangzhou and Auckland, restoring pre-pandemic capacity and expanding its international reach.
- Hangzhou and Jinan will also be added to Sydney’s route map, joining the carrier’s current services to Nanjing, Shanghai, Wuhan, and Xi’an.
- China Eastern plans to launch up to 41 new international and regional destinations, transforming Shanghai’s Pudong into a “mega-hub” and potentially adding more services to Oceania, Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and Asia.
Come November, Auckland Airport will welcome another direct link to Asia, with China Eastern announcing its intentions to link Hangzhou to Auckland. Currently, the Chinese carrier connects Shanghai to Auckland seven days a week, down from 11 pre-pandemic.
Launching November 5th, MU will deploy its Airbus A330 on the route, operating a triangle routing, operating Hangzhou – Sydney – Auckland – Hangzhou twice a week and twice in the other direction.
Having launched services to New Zealand in 2014, China Eastern will return to its pre-pandemic China-NZ capacity with the new route.
New destinations for Sydney
Hangzhou will join Jinan from Sydney as two new services launched in November. It will push Sydney’s Chinese connections to six, with Nanjing, Shanghai, Wuhan, and Xi’an already served directly by the airline.
Source: GCMap
Over at Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport, both AKL and SYD will be the first services for the airport to Oceania. They will join Qatar Airways (Doha) and Egypt Air (Cairo) as the sole long-haul destinations outside Asia.
Airlines ambitious growth plans
As reported by Aviancionline, China Eastern is looking to grow its international reach substantially. The airline last week announced its growth plan during an announcement of its half-yearly result, and part of this plan is a proposal to launch up to 41 new international and regional destinations.
Alongside the carrier’s current Shanghai to Auckland service, MU will transform Pudong into a ‘mega hub.’ As China’s financial center, the city should be well-oiled enough to stimulate demand.
Part of the transformation ‘phase 1’ could see China Eastern introduce services to Manchester, Athens, Marseille, Milan, and Vienna in Europe, Cairo and Johannesburg in Africa, Abu Dhabi, Riyadh, Tehran, and Tel Aviv in the Middle East, among other Asians destinations.
Phase two
Oceania will be set for even more China Eastern services should the rumors be true, as the carrier has strategically added Christchurch and Perth as part of its second-stage growth plan, according to Aviacionline. In addition to the proposed connections down under, Atlanta, Barcelona, Berlin, Boston, Munich, Nairobi, and Seattle are set to welcome new services. It remains unclear if all of these routes will be operated directly or in a triangle or one-stop format, as is the latest Auckland service.
Photo: Markus Mainka | Shutterstock
This will be welcomed with open arms at Christchurch International Airport. Before the end of the year, China Southern will reintroduce its direct Guangzhou service, alongside seasonal services by Cathay Pacific to Hong Kong and United Airlines to San Francisco to the South Island’s largest city.
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Suppose the Shanghai to Christchurch flights come to fruition. In that case, this will mark three direct services between the Bund and New Zealand, having MU already operating the route from Auckland, alongside Air New Zealand’s direct services with its Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner.
Sources: Aviacionline, Stuff.co.nz