China Eastern and JAL form joint venture

Source: Xinhua | 2018-08-03

CHINA Eastern Airlines Corp and Japan Airlines Co yesterday said they would form a joint venture to capitalize on a boom in Chinese tourism, in the first such deal between a Chinese mainland and Japanese carrier.

The pair, which already have a codesharing agreement, said the venture will allow them to coordinate flight times, offer more connecting flights, lower ticket prices and share revenue on routes they both fly such as Tokyo-Shanghai.

They aim to begin operations in the first half of 2019 pending approval from competition regulators.

“This partnership will generate more passenger traffic between the two countries and open up commercial opportunities,” said JAL Chairman Yoshiharu Ueki.

Last year, the number of Chinese visitors to Japan jumped 15 percent from a year earlier, Japanese data showed. Only a third as many Japanese visited China in 2016, latest data showed.