China Eastern Airlines announced on 3 November that it will resume a daily short-haul service between Shanghai Pudong (PVG) and Hangzhou Xiaoshan (HGH) from 15 November. Despite a 50-minute block time that barely beats the high-speed train, the flight is timed to move passengers arriving on late-evening long-haul services at Pudong to Hangzhou hotels and to position wide-body aircraft for early-morning departures.
From a global-mobility angle, the route supports smoother same-day connections for expatriates and business travellers heading to Zhejiang’s manufacturing belt or to Alibaba’s headquarters after landing in Shanghai. Promotional fares start at RMB 290 (US$41) one-way, including fuel surcharges—an attractive proposition for mobility budgets when compared with chauffeured transfers.
![China Eastern Relaunches Shanghai–Hangzhou ‘Ferry Flight’ to Optimise International Transfers]()
Civil-aviation analysts note that China Eastern now operates seven such ‘ferry flights’ within the Yangtze River Delta, using domestic sectors to feed passengers into its growing intercontinental network. With international seat capacity at PVG forecast to reach 85 per cent of 2019 levels by year-end, the airline sees the niche shuttle as a revenue generator through higher long-haul load factors rather than standalone profitability.
Travel managers should verify baggage-through check arrangements and advise travellers to allow extra time for security screening when connecting from international to domestic zones at Pudong’s Terminal 1.
From a global-mobility angle, the route supports smoother same-day connections for expatriates and business travellers heading to Zhejiang’s manufacturing belt or to Alibaba’s headquarters after landing in Shanghai. Promotional fares start at RMB 290 (US$41) one-way, including fuel surcharges—an attractive proposition for mobility budgets when compared with chauffeured transfers.
Civil-aviation analysts note that China Eastern now operates seven such ‘ferry flights’ within the Yangtze River Delta, using domestic sectors to feed passengers into its growing intercontinental network. With international seat capacity at PVG forecast to reach 85 per cent of 2019 levels by year-end, the airline sees the niche shuttle as a revenue generator through higher long-haul load factors rather than standalone profitability.
Travel managers should verify baggage-through check arrangements and advise travellers to allow extra time for security screening when connecting from international to domestic zones at Pudong’s Terminal 1.
