Summary

  • China Eastern resumes the longest domestic flight to Kashgar from Shanghai at 4500 km.
  • The pairing assistance policy established in 2010 strengthened the Shanghai-Kashgar relationship.
  • Daily direct flights from Shanghai to Kashgar were introduced by China Eastern & China Southern.

On May 18, China Eastern Airlines resumed its direct flight from Shanghai Pudong to Kashgar in Xinjiang. This route, spanning approximately 4500 kilometers and taking about six hours one-way, is currently the longest domestic route operated by China Eastern Airlines.

China Eastern MU6219 Shanghai to Kashgar maiden flight-1

Image: FR24, Su Wu | Simple Flying

The first flight, carrying 136 passengers, took off from Shanghai Pudong International Airport (PVG) at 7:24 AM on the 18th. After a 5-hour and 45-minute flight, it landed at Kashgar Laining International Airport (KHG) at 1:08 PM, with a load factor exceeding 90%.

The close relationship between Shanghai and Kashgar

Since 2010, the Chinese central government has implemented a policy called “Pairing Assistance to Xinjiang,” wherein 19 relatively affluent eastern provinces and cities provide economic support to Xinjiang’s development. Kashgar, located in the economically underdeveloped southern Xinjiang region and the westernmost prefecture-level unit in China, is paired with Shanghai, which supports four counties in the Kashgar region.

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Since 2010, as the largest home base airline in Shanghai, China Eastern Airlines has operated the MU5633/MU5634 route from Shanghai Hongqiao to Kashgar via Urumqi. This route runs every Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday, and has been in operation for over 14 years. Additionally, from April 6 to October 26, 2019, China Eastern operated a seasonal direct flight from Shanghai Pudong to Kashgar, running once a week on Saturdays.

The newly resumed regular flight route between Shanghai Pudong and Kashgar, designated as MU6219/MU6220, operates three times a week on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays.

Several China Eastern Aircraft parked on an airport apron.

Photo: China Eastern

In addition to China Eastern, China Southern Airlines recently launched a new regular direct flight from Shanghai Pudong to Kashgar on May 10, also operating three times a week. The flight days are staggered with China Eastern’s flights, meaning there will be direct flights between Shanghai and Kashgar six days a week.

Therefore, after May 18, China Eastern Airlines became the second airline, following China Southern Airlines, to operate daily regular flights between Shanghai and Kashgar.

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

Saturday

Sunday

China Eastern Airlines

Shanghai Hongqiao – Urumqi – Kashgar

Shanghai Hongqiao – Urumqi – Kashgar

Shanghai Hongqiao – Urumqi – Kashgar

Shanghai Hongqiao – Urumqi – Kashgar

Shanghai Pudong to Kashgar

Shanghai Pudong to Kashgar

Shanghai Pudong to Kashgar

China Southern Airlines

Shanghai Hongqiao – Urumqi – Kashgar (daily operations)

Shanghai Pudong to Kashgar

Shanghai Pudong to Kashgar

Shanghai Pudong to Kashgar

Before direct flights were introduced, air travel from Shanghai to Kashgar required transfers or stopovers in Xi’an, Urumqi, or other cities, taking 8 to 9 hours. With direct flights, the travel time from Shanghai to Kashgar is 6.5 hours, and the return flight is 5.5 hours.

A hub for international and regional connections

For passengers traveling from Kashgar to Shanghai, Pudong International Airport serves as an efficient hub for connecting to other domestic cities or major global destinations, enabling seamless same-day international transfers.

Passengers arriving at Shanghai Pudong International Airport (PVG) at 8:05 PM can easily connect to China Eastern’s international flights to Bangkok, Singapore, Hanoi, Frankfurt, Paris, Auckland, Cairo, London, Istanbul, Budapest, and other destinations later that evening or early the next day.

China eastern in Shanghai airport 16 9

Photo: China Eastern

The Shanghai-Kashgar direct flight is also critical in building a golden corridor between Asia and Europe. Using Kashgar as a key node, this route will facilitate tighter connections between Shanghai and the Yangtze River Delta region with Central Asia, West Asia, and South Asia.

Currently, trade between Kashgar and Central Asia accounts for over 80% of the region’s total trade, while Shanghai’s trade with Central Asia only represents 0.25% of the city’s total trade. There is immense potential for cooperation between Shanghai, Kashgar, and Central Asia.

Plus, Xinjiang is one of China’s largest and most sparsely populated provinces, with an area of over 660,000 square miles (approximately one-sixth of the size of mainland China). Due to the vast distances between cities, great linguistic, cultural, and economic diversity, and a lack of traditional transportation infrastructure, regional aviation provides a unique opportunity for travel and commerce in this vast and diverse region.

What is the longest domestic flight you have taken? Have you traveled to Xinjiang before? Please share your experience with Simple Flying.

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