Air France-KLM, China Eastern expand JV partnership

Air France-KLM and China Eastern Airlines have agreed to expand their joint venture to include 2 new routes, the airlines said Nov 26. The 3 carriers will partner up from Jan 1 on Paris-Wuhan and Paris-Kunming services, and will also offer passengers new codeshare and connection opportunities. Air France and China Eastern have been working together since 2000, starting with a Paris-Shanghai codeshare agreement. Extending existing partnerships and signing new ones to improve the reach of its long-haul network has been a key part of Air France-KLM efforts to boost profitability in recent years in the face of tough air transport industry competition. The two groups formalised their partnership in 2012 with a JV agreement, which KLM joined in 2016, extending it to Amsterdam-Shanghai. <br/>