China Eastern Airlines started in 1988. It was cut from the Shanghai branch of China's civil aviation authority, which Beijing was breaking up. Until then, one state body controlled all Chinese flying. Working from China's business capital, the airline grew by taking over smaller carriers. Yunnan Airlines and China Northwest Airlines joined in 2002. Those deals brought big bases in Kunming and Xi'an, reaching deep into western China.
In 1997 it became the first Chinese airline to list shares in New York, Hong Kong, and Shanghai at the same time. That step was a landmark for Chinese aviation. It joined SkyTeam in 2011, a group of airlines that share routes and benefits. It also grew close to Delta Air Lines, which bought a stake in 2015. Flights use both Shanghai airports, Pudong and Hongqiao, serving China's richest region.
The company also started budget airline China United Airlines in Beijing. In May 2023 it flew the first commercial flight of the COMAC C919, China's first homegrown mainline jet, from Shanghai to Beijing. It remains the launch customer and biggest operator of that plane. China Eastern is one of the country's Big Three state-owned carriers, and it serves about 180 destinations.