China Eastern Launches Copenhagen and Milan Routes
China Eastern Airlines this summer will expand its European network with two new long‑haul services from Shanghai Pudong International Airport, capitalizing on continued access to Russian airspace to fly more efficient routes. Reservations are now open for daily flights to Milan Malpensa Airport beginning June 20 and three‑times‑weekly service to Copenhagen Kastrup Airport starting July 17, marking China Eastern’s 15th European destination and its first direct link to Denmark.
The new Copenhagen route will be operated with Airbus A330‑200 aircraft and positions China Eastern as the sole carrier between Shanghai and Denmark. Scandinavian Airlines discontinued its Copenhagen–Shanghai service in November 2024, leaving the market unserved until China Eastern’s launch. Air China remains Copenhagen’s only other connection to mainland China, flying daily from Beijing Capital International Airport, while China Eastern’s entry is expected to stimulate additional traffic by offering competitive fares and one‑stop connectivity to hundreds of onward European destinations.
Service to Milan Malpensa, already served from Xi’an since September 2024, will be upgraded with daily Airbus A350‑900 operations from Shanghai Pudong. This adds to Milan’s strong connectivity, which in 2024 included nonstop flights to nine Chinese cities including Beijing, Chengdu, Chongqing and Xi’an. China Eastern’s new Milan schedule directly challenges Air China’s existing daily Shanghai–Milan service by offering passengers a modern widebody experience and additional schedule options in a key commercial and tourism market.
Shortly before its season ramps up, China Eastern will also inaugurate a Shanghai–Geneva link on June 16 with four weekly A350 flights, strengthening its presence in Switzerland. The carrier is further boosting capacity on its popular Shanghai–Venice Marco Polo route by adding a fourth weekly departure, building on the service introduced last September. This multifaceted expansion underscores the airline’s ambition to capture premium Europe‑bound traffic from China’s largest cities.
These developments reflect a broader trend among Chinese carriers in summer 2025. Sichuan Airlines will launch four‑times‑weekly Chengdu Tianfu–Madrid flights on April 27, while Hainan Airlines begins weekly service from Haikou to London Heathrow on May 7. Air China is resuming its Chengdu Tianfu–Paris Charles de Gaulle route on April 28, returning to a market abandoned five years earlier. Together, these additions will lift two‑way seat capacity between mainland China and Europe (excluding Russia) to approximately 10.3 million for the northern summer, a 7 percent year‑over‑year rise.
Chinese airlines will account for roughly 82.5 percent of China–Europe seats in summer 2025, up from 66 percent in summer 2019, according to OAG data. The ability to overfly Russian territory, closed to most Western carriers due to sanctions, offers Chinese operators shorter flight paths and lower fuel burn, translating into competitive ticket prices and schedule flexibility that European rivals cannot match on these corridors.
With its new Copenhagen service and expanded Milan, Geneva and Venice offerings, China Eastern Airlines is strategically reinforcing its trans‑continental footprint and enhancing Shanghai Pudong’s role as a gateway between Asia and Europe. As demand for long‑haul travel rebounds, the carrier’s data‑driven route planning and efficient routing through Russian airspace position it to capture growing leisure and business traffic. For travelers and stakeholders, China Eastern’s summer rollout delivers more options, greater convenience and the promise of continued network growth across the Eurasian landmass.
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