All Change @ China Eastern: New Brand, New 777s

November 2014 was a milestone in the history of China Eastern Airlines. The Shanghai based airline is the second largest in China and eight largest in the world in terms of available seats however the big three Chinese airlines are renowned for their conservatism and none had previously altered their liveries in the 25 plus years since they split from the old CAAC. Still the new identity is definitely evolutionary rather than revolutionary.

The branding itself has been seen by many as disappointing given it replaced the colourful cheatlines with an all white fuselage, however the airline regularly has colourful special schemes with which to fill the white space. It was designed by Bang Strategic Brand Design, a renowned Chinese firm from Beijing. The design keeps the same colours but reimagines the iconic swallow logo in a more fluid form. The wings of the bird now represent a sky bridge while the tails represent the curvy Huangpu River. The logo is also an artistic transfiguration of the word 'CE', the initials of the company name.

The newly curved swallow is also supposed to symbolise modernity - something that the airline is striving for. Despite its size and initiatives like opening the first low cost airline (China United) amongst the big three its financial performance has been poor with capacity increases coming at the expense of yields. In addition its still receives large amounts of state subsidies. The airline's increasing modernisation has been driven by the appointment of Liu Shaoyang from China Southern. This is needed in part due to increasing competitive pressure at the Shanghai hub China Eastern calls home.

China Eastern took delivery of the first of 20 777-300ERs on order in September 2014. The new type replaced A340-600s and will enable a major expansion of the airline’s China to USA Pacific network. The 777s also introduced China Eastern’s new livery with Liu Shaoyang MU’s Chairman saying:

“We are delighted to introduce our first 777-300ER in China Eastern’s new look in celebration of the 10th anniversary of the 777-300ER program.”

The type is used on such routes as Shanghai to Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, Vancouver and Toronto. The first service connected Shanghai with New York and commenced on November 15, 2014. China Eastern has configured its new 777-300ER to feature three distinct cabins. Passengers will find six first class suits, 52 business class seats in a 1-2-1 configuration and 258 economy seats in a 3-4-3 configuration. The type also introduces a major improvement in onboard quality with reverse herringbone seats in business class and fully enclosed suites in first class, including a double bed. This is slightly contrasted by being the first airline in North-East Asia to operate with a 10 across seating in economy. Registrations run from B-2001-3,5,20-21 with six aircraft so far delivered.

China Eastern's new scheme has been gradually applied to other fleet members including the A320-214(SL), B-1612, which was only delivered in November and A330-243, B-5962, delivered in December.

References
2014. Boeing.com. China Eastern Airlines Celebrate Delivery of Airline's First 777-300ER
2014. CAPA. China Eastern Airlines: rebranding, strategic revival, new 777 deliveries and an investor hunt
2014. OneMileAtATime. China Eastern 777-300ER Flying To New York Starting November 2014