UK airline Virgin Atlantic has announced a new codeshare agreement with China Eastern Airlines to offer more connections around China.
Both carriers are members of the SkyTeam alliance and the first phase of the new codeshare arrangement will allow Virgin passengers flying from London Heathrow to Shanghai to connect on to China Eastern flights to six destinations in China, including Chengdu, Qingdao, Shenzhen and Xi’an. These flights are now on sale.
The UK airline, which joined SkyTeam last year, resumed flights to Shanghai on 1 May 2023 after China finally reopened its border for international travellers following the Covid-19 pandemic.
Virgin Atlantic and China Eastern have both been located at Shanghai Pudong airport’s Terminal One since November.
Juha Jarvinen, chief commercial officer at Virgin Atlantic, called China and east Asia an “incredibly important region” for the airline.
“Our new codeshare with China Eastern will serve continued demand for travel to the region and strengthens our commitment to China and East Asia,” added Jarvinen.
“We know these agreements bring plenty of benefits to our customers, from increased network scope to China and beyond, to reciprocal loyalty rewards for our Flying Club members.”