Operating out of hubs at Shanghai's Hongqiao (SHA) and Pudong (PVG) airports, as well as a wide range of secondary bases throughout its home country, China Eastern Airlines has a considerable network. Correspondingly, it also has a large fleet to match, with data from ch-aviation.com listing it as having 639 aircraft.

Widebodies

Starting with its largest aircraft, China Eastern Airlines flies widebody designs from both Airbus and Boeing. When it comes to the former manufacturer, the carrier is a big fan of the A330 series, with 55 A330s at its disposal. This figure is split between 30 A330-200s and 25 A330-300s, with respective mean ages of 10.4 and 8.9 years.

At the more modern end of the spectrum, and as pictured below, the SkyTeam carrier also flies 18 examples of the next-generation A350-900 model. These aircraft have an average age of just 2.8 years, compared to a fleet-wide mean figure of 6.8 years. Going forward, China Eastern also has another two A350-900s on order.

Photo: Airbus

The airline also flies aircraft from two of Boeing's widebody families, albeit in smaller numbers. The most numerous of these is the 777-300ER, whose 20 examples have an average age of 7.6 years old. Meanwhile, China Eastern also has three 787-9s (3.8 years on average), with another seven on order.

Narrowbodies

As is the case with many major carriers worldwide, narrowbody twinjets from the Airbus A320 and Boeing 737 families represent the backbone of China Eastern Airlines' current fleet. Last year, it had to ground its 737-800s after a fatal accident, but today, all 102 of its examples (8.2 years on average) are active again.

The carrier flies another 40 737s from two different variants. The most numerous of the remaining models is the 737-700, of which China Eastern has 37 at its disposal, with a comparatively high average age of 11.9 years old. However, the airline has also recently begun flying the next-generation Boeing 737 MAX 8. Its three examples have a mean age of 3.9 years, and another seven are set to come onboard.

Photo: Markus Mainka/Shutterstock 

China Eastern's Airbus A320 family portfolio is even more extensive. Between 35 A319-100s, 166 A320-200s, 104 A320neos, and 77 A321-200s, the carrier has a whopping 382 models of the European manufacturer's single-aisle twinjets at its disposal, representing some 59.78% of its total fleet. This number is only set to grow, with outstanding orders for another 38 A320neos and 68 A321neos.

Closer to home

The carrier also has a handful of Chinese-built aircraft, including 17 COMAC ARJ21-700s with an average age of just 1.5 years old. These fly for OTT Airlines, one of China Eastern's various subsidiaries. Additionally, the airline recently started receiving COMAC C919s, taking its second example just last month. This leaves it with three outstanding orders for the type.

What do you make of China Eastern Airlines' current fleet? How many of its aircraft have you flown on? Let us know your thoughts and experiences in the comments!

Source: ch-aviation.com