China Eastern Airlines (MU, Shanghai Hongqiao) took delivery of its first A321-200NX on October 29, 2024, at Hamburg Finkenwerder. B-32HX (msn 12093) was then ferried from the Airbus facility in Germany to Shanghai Pudong via Astana Nursultan Nazarbayev.
According to the ch-aviation fleets module, B-32HX is the first of sixty-eight A321-200NX China Eastern has ordered from Airbus to replace its fleet of seventy-six A321-200s. Powered by CFM International Leap-1A engines, the aircraft features a two-class cabin layout, comprising 12 business class seats and 186 in economy. Although it has been delivered, the aircraft has yet to enter commercial operations. Additionally, a second A321-200NX, B-32HY (msn 12180), was delivered on October 30, 2024, following the same route as its sister.
This delivery is part of a larger order placed in 2022, which saw four different Chinese carriers ordering 292 A320 Family aircraft. China Eastern specifically ordered 100 A320neo Family jets, with deliveries scheduled between 2024 and 2027. In addition to the sixty-eight A321-200NX, the order comprises thirty-two A320-200Ns, of which three have already been delivered.
While China Eastern has not yet revealed specific schedules for its new aircraft, stock market filings made at the time of the order indicate plans to deploy the A320neo Family primarily on high-yield domestic routes, with potential expansion into international markets such as Japan, South Korea, and Southeast Asia
Currently, excluding the recently delivered A321-200NX aircraft, China Eastern’s Airbus fleet also includes thirty-four A319-100s, 156 A320-200s, 109 A320-200Ns (with 35 more on order), seventy-six A321ceo, thirty A330-200s, twenty-six A330-300s, and twenty A350-900s. The airline also operates a significant Boeing (BOE, Washington National) fleet, which includes thirty-six B737-700s, three B737-8s (with three more on order), 102 B737-800s, twenty B777-300ERs, and five B787-9s (of which two are currently wet-leased from one of its subsidiaries, Shanghai Airlines (FM, Shanghai Hongqiao), with an additional six on order).
Moreover, China Eastern was the launch customer of the COMAC C919, operating eight of the type with plans to receive a further 98. It also currently operates twenty-four ARJ21-700s, all wet-leased from OTT Airlines (JF, Shanghai Hongqiao), a subsidiary carrier that China Eastern will soon absorb.