China Eastern becomes world’s biggest airline

Sunday, 05 May, 2020 0

China Eastern is now the world’s largest airline, according to OAG Aviation Worldwide.

It is the biggest based on available seat capacity, after leapfrogging Dallas-based Southwest Airlines. which has cancelled more than one million seats.

Southwest became the largest using this metric only recently as US rivals including American Airlines and Delta had slashed flights by nearly 90%.

"Some 270 airlines added capacity back to the tune of approximately 3.9 million seats; unfortunately, 303 airlines reduced capacity by some 5.6 million including over one million fewer seats from Southwest Airlines," said OAG analyst John Grant on the company’s blog.

Global capacity has now shrunk from 109 million to only 26.6 million.

Flights still operating are overwhelmingly domestic due to international restrictions and near zero demand.

Domestic routes make up 82% of all flights.

Shanghai-based China Eastern is part of China’s ‘Big Three’ carriers along with China Southern Airlines and Air China.

Airlines in China have added about 900,000 seats as travel restrictions have been eased and demand rises.

The three airlines all posted large first quarter losses but loads have significantly improved this week as people travelled in the millions during the May Day holiday period.

TravelMole Editorial Team

Editor for TravelMole North America and Asia pacific regions. Ray is a highly experienced (15+ years) skilled journalist and editor predominantly in travel, hospitality and lifestyle working with a huge number of major market-leading brands. He has also cover in-depth news, interviews and features in general business, finance, tech and geopolitical issues for a select few major news outlets and publishers.

Travel specialists founded the company in 1999 as AC Tours. Since then we have grown and expanded to incorporate four...

Nium was founded on the mission to build the global payments infrastructure of tomorrow, today. With the onset of the on-demand...

We are the UK’s leading Canada travel experts Canadian Affair Company Information Founded in 1995, Canadian Affair offers an...

The State of Michigan is blessed with the riches of unspoiled nature: the nation’s longest freshwater coastline, lakes that feel like...

Home to America’s Best Beaches, a vibrant arts community and amazing outdoor experiences, St. Pete/Clearwater is a sunny destination that...

Jet2.com is the UK’s third largest airline, flying from ten UK airports to more than 60 destinations across Europe and beyond....

Queensland – where it’s rude not to stare Here in Queensland, there’s plenty to do. But there’s even more to...

The Paris 2024 Organising Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Games is responsible for planning, organising, financing and delivering the...

The Florida Keys and Key West is a 126 mile long string of Islands connected to South Florida by the...

This is Jersey. An island shaped by the sea where some of the most astonishing tides in the world circle...

If you’re thinking of cruising, there’s a very good chance you’re considering a Carnival cruise. Growing since our founding in...

The Oregon Tourism Commission, dba Travel Oregon, works to enhance visitors’ experiences by providing information, resources and trip planning tools...