China Eastern to expand Sino-Europe routes with AF-KLM stake

China Eastern Airlines chairman Liu Shaoyong said the carrier’s role in the new transatlantic joint venture—between Air France-KLM, Delta Air Lines and Virgin Atlantic—is to enhance its position in the Sino-Europe market. China Eastern is expected to purchase a 10% stake in Air France-KLM with a E375m (US$439m) investment, the biggest overseas strategic investment for the carrier. China Eastern would also appoint one director to Air France-KLM’s board.“ China Eastern, Air France-KLM and Delta have established good cooperative relationships, which have laid a solid foundation for our strategic investment in Air France-KLM. We [three SkyTeam carriers] look forward to forging closer strategic cooperative partnerships on the global scale,” Liu said. <br/>