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A trial of direct flights between Perth and Shanghai could start next year. China Eastern, which already flies daily to Sydney and Melbourne, offered to investigate the viability of bringing thousands of passengers to Western Australia for the first time. Any deal is likely to involve some financial concessions around airport fees and a joint marketing campaign. “They are rapidly expanding their aircraft fleet and we have to make sure we are an available and welcoming destination for them,” said Mark McGowan, the premier of Western Australia. China Eastern flew 640,000 passengers to NSW last year and tourism operators in Perth say a deal with the company would be a game changer as China’s wealthy middle-class continues to grow.<br/>

Delta will fly a Boeing 747 on a farewell tour through Seattle next month. The airline is retiring its jumbo jets by the end of the year as it brings new Airbus A350 jets into service. The last regularly scheduled flight is from Seoul to Detroit set for Dec 17. The jet will then take Delta employees, retirees and customers on flights from Detroit to Seattle Dec 18, Seattle to Atlanta Dec 19 and Atlanta to Minneapolis Dec 20. Delta will fly the Boeing 747 on charter flights for sports teams and other customers through the end of the year, and then fly the double-decker into retirement in Arizona in early January. Delta customers can bid with SkyMiles for a spot on the flights. United flew its last scheduled flight on a Boeing 747 last week.<br/>