Tblisi, Georgia: Photo: Shutterstock After launching the longest route in the world last year and announcing it would connect Central Europe to Northwest China via a new Vienna-Xi'an Route earlier this month, China Eastern Airlines (CEAir) has fresh news.
Shanghai. China. Photo: Shutterstock"Starting July 15, CEAir will launch a new route (MU285/286) between Tbilisi and Shanghai, with three round-trip flights per week," said the company in a recent announcement on social media platform X.
China Eastern Airlines. Photo: ShutterstockThe Civil Aviation Administration of China offers more details on the new service that will connect Shanghai Pudong to Tbilisi, Georgia's capital, marking the airline's first service to the European country and "the first direct connection from the Shanghai international aviation hub to the country."
"As a key step in China Eastern's strategy to deepen engagement with Countries of the Belt and Road Initiative and enhance its Eurasian route network, the new route will serve as an efficient "air bridge" for economic and trade cooperation, cultural exchange, and tourism between China and Georgia," said the Civil Aviation Administration.
The service is already available for booking under flight numbers MU285/286, and will be operated via Airbus A330 aircraft on Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays.
Flight schedule
Outbound flight will depart Shanghai at 12:50 Beijing time (04:50 GMT), arriving in Tbilisi at 19:00 local time (15:00 GMT). The return flight will leave Tbilisi at 21:00 local time (17:00 GMT) and arrive in Shanghai at 10:00 Beijing time (02:00 GMT) the next day.