SHANGHAI, Nov 9 – During this year’s China International Import Expo (CIIE) here, China Eastern Airlines will sign 23 procurement agreements with 15 suppliers from 8 countries and regions around the world, covering five categories — aircraft engines, aviation materials, jet fuel, in-flight meals and chilled salmon — with a total contract value of $540 million. Of that, one-year contracts signed at the expo totaled $375 million, signifying an increase of 12.6 percent from the previous edition and a new record.
This is the ninth year that China Eastern has participated deeply in and served the CIIE. Over the past nine years, the carrier has seized the “buy global” opportunities, steadily expanded its circle of friends, built long-term, stable and mutually beneficial partnerships with more players across the industrial chain, and worked with them to build a safe, stable and resilient aviation supply chain.
At the signing ceremony of the central SOE trading delegation at this year’s CIIE, China Eastern signed a major order for spare engines with CFM International, selecting LEAP-1A engines for its 101 newly ordered Airbus A320neo family aircraft. The two sides also signed a purchase agreement for LEAP-1C and CFM56-7B spare engines, further supporting the efficient operation of China Eastern’s existing fleet.
CFM International is a world-leading supplier of commercial aircraft engines. “Today’s signing is not just about a single agreement — it reflects China Eastern’s firm commitment to continuing fleet modernization, enhancing operational support capabilities and achieving long-term development, and it demonstrates the close partnerships the airline has built with many players across the aviation industry chain,” said Mahendra Nair, vice president of global commercial sales at GE Aerospace.
Notably, the LEAP engines China Eastern is purchasing feature advanced technologies including 3D woven composite fan blades, additive-manufactured fuel nozzles and a second-generation lean-burn combustor. The engine is about 500 pounds lighter overall and cuts fuel consumption and carbon emissions by 15-20 percent compared with the previous generation, while reducing the noise footprint by 75 percent.
At this year’s CIIE, China Eastern continued to shore up the foundations of fleet operations, pursuing multiple initiatives on several fronts. It signed aviation material purchase orders with Collins Aerospace and Honeywell to support safe and efficient fleet operations. Meanwhile, the company has also inked an aircraft tire purchase agreement with Michelin covering tires for Boeing, Airbus and C919 aircraft, among other models; and signed separate agreements with Panasonic Avionics and Boeing to advance the cabin retrofit and upgrade of Boeing 777-300ER aircraft, striving to create a safer, more convenient and more comfortable travel experience for passengers.
In addition, China Eastern signed a letter of intent on jet fuel cooperation with China Aviation Oil (Singapore) Corporation Ltd, a major jet fuel trading company in the Asia-Pacific region. Relying on its global fueling network spanning Asia-Pacific, North America, Europe and the Middle East, the company already provides quality jet fuel support to China Eastern at 28 airports including Los Angeles.
China Eastern’s fresh food procurement orders at the CIIE have also drawn wide attention.
In recent years, premium overseas products such as cherries, lobsters and king crabs have reached Chinese consumers’ tables directly through China Eastern’s cold chain logistics firm.
At this year’s CIIE, the “delicious deals” continued, with the logistics arm under China Eastern signing a procurement memorandum of cooperation with Denmark’s Skagen Salmon.
The cold chain logistics firm will become the company’s main partner for expanding into the Chinese market; leveraging its fast air freight, salmon deep-processing at its Central China and Western China fresh food hubs, and online sales platforms, Chinese consumers can look forward to higher-quality Nordic salmon.
Beyond ensuring fresh food supply, China Eastern is also drawing on its professional cold chain capabilities to expand pharmaceutical transport and serve people’s wellbeing.
At the CIIE, China Eastern Logistics signed a strategic cooperation agreement with Novartis; the two sides will combine air cargo and pharmaceutical cold chain expertise to connect key nodes in pharmaceutical distribution and ensure innovative medicines are delivered efficiently and safely.
On in-flight meal procurement, China Eastern signed an order agreement with Singapore’s SATS Ltd. The two sides began catering cooperation back when China Eastern launched its first China-Singapore flight, and today SATS continues to provide in-flight meal support for China Eastern’s international departures at Asia-Pacific hubs including Singapore, Delhi, Malé and Manila.
China Eastern vows to continue to use the CIIE as a bridge, deepen global civil aviation cooperation, and work with partners worldwide to witness, take part in and share the opportunities of the era brought by China’s opening-up.
