China Eastern Airlines Posts 8.8% Capacity Growth in September 2026; Fleet Expands to 837 Aircraft

China Eastern Airlines Corporation Limited reported solid traffic momentum for September 2026, supported by new route launches and additional frequencies across its domestic and international networks.

Operations – September Snapshot • Passenger capacity, measured by Available Seat Kilometres (ASK), climbed 8.77 % year-on-year to 27.39 billion seat-kilometres. Revenue Passenger Kilometres (RPK) advanced 8.53 % to 23.93 billion, while the passenger load factor softened marginally by 0.19 percentage points to 87.38 %. • International flying continued to outpace the domestic segment: international ASKs expanded 13.77 % and RPKs rose 13.18 %, compared with domestic gains of 6.27 % and 6.16 % respectively. • The Group carried 12.49 million passengers during the month, up 4.11 % from a year earlier. • Cargo demand remained firm. Revenue Freight Tonne Kilometres (RFTK) increased 12.42 % to 375.90 million, driven by a 17.85 % surge on international routes. Overall freight load factor slipped 1.68 percentage points to 43.36 % as belly-hold capacity expanded faster than filled volumes.

Year-to-Date Performance (January–September 2026) • Cumulative ASKs reached 247.39 billion seat-kilometres, up 3.21 % year-on-year. RPKs totalled 216.09 billion, improving 5.40 %. • The nine-month passenger load factor stood at 87.35 %, 1.82 percentage points higher than the prior-year period. • Freight operations generated 3.31 billion RFTK, marking a 10.56 % rise, supported by a 13.75 % increase on international services. The freight load factor improved 3.72 percentage points to 42.60 %. • Total revenue tonne-kilometres (RTK) grew 6.22 % to 22.26 billion, while the overall load factor improved 2.52 percentage points to 74.13 %.

Network Development September saw the inauguration of domestic routes such as Chengdu Tianfu–Dalian and Chengdu Tianfu–Liancheng, the resumption of services like Changchun–Jinan, and frequency additions on high-demand city pairs including Shanghai Pudong–Haikou and Shanghai Pudong–Mianyang. International growth focused on increased flights between Shanghai Pudong and Bali, and Xi’an–Seoul Incheon.

Fleet Update The Group inducted five aircraft—four Airbus A320-family jets and one Boeing 737—while retiring one A320, bringing the in-service fleet to 837 aircraft at end-September 2026. The fleet comprises 114 wide-bodies, 691 narrow-bodies and 32 regional jets.

Risk Notice All figures are unaudited and may be adjusted in subsequent statutory filings, as noted by the company’s board.