China Eastern delivers end-to-end support for CIIE travel and cargo flows

According to China Eastern Air Holding Company, a team of one hundred cabin crew forming the Lingyan youth volunteer service group has taken up its post at the National Exhibition and Convention Centre (Shanghai), marking the ninth consecutive year of service for the China International Import Expo. As a major state‑owned civil aviation carrier and the largest home‑based airline operating out of Shanghai, China Eastern has rolled out a suite of aviation‑focused services across air and ground operations for overseas and domestic visitors attending the expo.

The airline’s CIIE‑themed livery aircraft, decorated with the expo mascot Jinbao, acts as a mobile airborne ambassador. Dedicated cabin announcements carry the expo’s invitation of “New Era, Shared Future”. Since its maiden flight in 2020, the aircraft has completed more than 2,950 commercial passenger services and carried over 704,000 travellers. During each expo session, the plane supports official operations; it has transported 39,400 exhibitors, trade delegates and professional visitors, alongside airfreight consignments of exhibits.

China Eastern’s service framework, named Eastern Smooth Journey, integrates passenger and cargo workflows. Built around route networks, terminal infrastructure and digital tools, the system runs through every stage of expo logistics and passenger movement. For travellers, the Eastern CIIE exclusive package covers discounted fares, flexible ticketing arrangements and supplementary benefits for official trade delegations, purchasing organisations, exhibiting firms and registered professional visitors. Those flying to and from Shanghai with the carrier can access the digital terminal platform, complimentary in‑flight Wi‑Fi, multimodal transport links, the One‑Step service and door‑to‑door baggage handling throughout departure, transfer, flight and arrival stages.

On the freight side, smart warehousing and direct origin delivery routes underpin the movement of expo goods. The intelligent cargo terminal operated by China Eastern Logistics at the western zone of Shanghai Pudong International Airport hosts Asia’s first heavy‑duty automated guided vehicle system for unitised loads. Unmanned and digital workflows, paired with coordinated passenger and cargo handling, speed up the distribution of exhibits. Direct origin delivery channels create air links for fresh produce exported to China, including consignments of Chilean salmon secured under contracts signed at previous editions of the expo, which travel to domestic markets via the carrier’s cold‑chain network.

A full‑service station opens on the north plaza of the National Exhibition and Convention Centre during the event. Staff provide round‑the‑clock support for ticket sales, Eastern Miles frequent‑member enquiries and corporate travel arrangements. The team brings experience from eight prior expos and follows a service standard defined as careful, precise, refined and thorough. Demonstrations of the digital terminal and newly launched digital services are arranged at the site.

On 5 November, the opening date of this year’s expo, China Eastern will operate a series of carbon‑neutral flights in line with the low‑carbon and green principles adopted for the event. Carbon offsets will be purchased for all inbound international flights operated by the carrier into Pudong Airport on that day, delivering carbon neutrality for selected services.