Qantas to codeshare with China Eastern

Qantas and Shanghai-based China Eastern Airlines today announced a codeshare agreement for services between Australia and China.

Under the agreement, Qantas will codeshare on two China Eastern services each week between Sydney and Beijing via Shanghai, and China Eastern will codeshare on two Qantas services each week between Melbourne and Shanghai, which operate via Sydney.

The new codeshare agreement will commence on 29 October.

The services operated by China Eastern, using an Airbus A340 aircraft, depart Sydney on Mondays and Wednesdays with the return services operating from Beijing on Fridays and Sundays. This will allow Qantas passengers to travel between Sydney and Beijing without changing aircraft.

The Qantas-operated Boeing 767 services depart Melbourne and Sydney on Tuesdays and Thursdays. The return services depart Shanghai on Thursdays and Saturdays.

Each airline will continue to operate a third service from Australia on Saturdays, and from China on Tuesdays, which are not included in the codeshare agreement.

Qantas Deputy Chief Executive Officer, Geoff Dixon, said the airlines shared an interest in further development of the route between Australia and China.

"This codeshare agreement represents a commitment by two airlines which are leaders in their respective home markets," he said.