China Eastern to Boost Oceania Capacity by 20%

China Eastern Airlines (MU) is set to increase its capacity to Oceania by 20%, the airline said on Thursday.

The Shanghai-based carrier will boost its capacity to Oceania by launching Shanghai-Auckland route in September and Shanghai-Brisbane route in January 2016, and increasing the frequency of other Oceanian services.

The airline will commence the Shanghai-Auckland service on September 26, which has been operated as a seasonal flight previously.

Traveling to New Zealand becomes more popularity among the Chinese, with a growth of nearly 30% year on year. Shanghai has become the city with the most tourists heading to New Zealand. Accordingly, the carrier has decided to operate a scheduled service to Auckland on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays, and operate a daily flight starting January 2016.

According to China Eastern, the Shanghai-Brisbane service will be launched in January with four flights a week. In addition, the airline will increase the frequency of Shanghai-Sydney and Shanghai-Melbourne routes to two flights a day to meet the strong demand in the peak travel season in early 2016. Meanwhile, a seasonal service will be linked Shanghai with Cairns, Australia.

In August, China Eastern was cleared to establish a joint venture with Qantas, which allows the carriers to deliver expanded services, better departure and arrival schedules, shorter transit times, increased frequent flyer benefits and a wider range of onward connections within China and Australia.

The airline also expands its presence in America through its cooperation with Delta Air Lines, and access to Delta's network to South America, Mexico and the Caribbean, providing more travel options for travelers.

In addition, the carrier is making progress in seeking new destinations in Europe.