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Delta Air Lines Wednesday said Q2 passenger unit revenue would come in at the high end of its outlook, adding that "an improving revenue environment" helped cushion the blow that the carrier took in April after severe thunderstorms over the Atlanta area forced thousands of flight cancellations. The carrier said passenger unit revenue had risen roughly 2.5% during the quarter. Earlier, the company forecast a 1%-3% increase in passenger unit revenue. Delta in recent weeks has said that unit revenue was headed toward the upper end of its expectations, citing better conditions in business travel. The company said it expected a Q2 operating margin of 18%-19%. In April, the company had forecast an operating margin for the quarter of 17%-19%. <br/>

China Eastern Airlines plans to allocate 150-200 aircraft to Beijing’s new airport in Daxing, which is expected to open in 2019. The airport has not yet been named. The carrier said the aircraft would be a mix of narrowbodies and widebodies, which would operate on domestic Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan routes and international routes to America, Europe, Australia, Japan, Korea and Southeast Asia. China Eastern currently has no direct intercontinental long-haul service from Beijing. China Eastern will invest CNY13.2b (US$1.9b) in its infrastructure at the new airport in an effort to enhance its position in the Beijing market. China Eastern previously said it plans to designate Beijing’s new airport as its core strategic hub for the most profitable Beijing-Shanghai route. <br/>