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Shanghai Airlines to receive four-class B787-9s
March 9th 2018
Shanghai Airlines, a China Eastern Airlines subsidiary, will take delivery of its first B787-9 in June, the carrier announced on Weibo. Read More » The airliner will feature four first class and 26 business class suites, both with sliding doors, and 28 premium economy and 227 economy class seats. Both first and premium economy are new service offerings for Shanghai Airlines.
The four first class suites will not be separated by partitioning from the business class cabin and will be the same product except for significantly larger IFE screens in the first class area.
It is unclear at this stage how many B787s Shanghai Airlines will receive or where it intended to fly them. The airline has never officially placed an order with Boeing for the airplanes. It is expected the B787s will come out from parent China Eastern’s order book with the U.S. OEM.
China Eastern ordered 15 B787-9s in 2016. Back then, the airline said the B787 would “play a key role in supporting China Eastern’s strategy for international expansion”, and would enable it “to realize profits in point-to-point routes across the Pacific Ocean and between China and Europe”. It remains to be seen whether Shanghai Airlines will take all 15 -9s or if some will join China Eastern’s fleet.
Shanghai Airlines serves more than 140 domestic and regional destinations with its six A330s, 83 B737s,including three MAXs, and four B767-300ERs.
The airline was a Star Alliance member from 2007 to 2010, before it defected to SkyTeam following its merger with China Eastern.
