Photo: Courtesy of China Eastern Airlines

As the COVID-19 pandemic keeps pummeling the global air industry, China Eastern Airlines set up a new branch in Xiamen, East China's Fujian Province on Saturday and aims to put 40 planes into use in the city by 2025. 

The establishment of the new branch is an "important strategic decision" to better serve the Belt and Road Initiative, facilitate the construction of local special economic zones and free trade areas, and promote cross-Strait integrative development, China Eastern Airlines told the Global Times on Saturday. 

Xiamen sits in a core location of the Maritime Silk Road and functions as a key gateway toward the island of Taiwan. Boasting itself as a popular tourist destination, the city has raised high demands for an international air transport network, hence, creating opportunities for airlines.

 

Photo: Courtesy of China Eastern Airlines

As the seventh largest airline in the world, China Eastern Airlines has conducted more than 130 million passenger trips annually and is able to reach 1,150 destinations in 175 countries and regions across the globe. 

After China contained the coronavirus in most areas within the country, the amount of domestic flights under China Eastern Airlines has recovered by 80 percent compared to the pre-epidemic level, according to the company. 

In the future, the airline plans to increase flights between Xiamen and Shanghai, Beijing, Kunming and Xi'an, as well as explore flight routes to and from Japan, South Korea, Southeast Asia and the island of Taiwan. 

Global Times