At 13:25 on June 16, Beijing time, China Eastern Airlines flight MU217 flew smoothly from Shanghai Pudong International Airport to Geneva International Airport, Switzerland. The flight carried 243 passengers, and the first flight occupancy rate exceeded 85%. Before the flight took off, China Eastern Airlines held a maiden flight ceremony at Terminal T1 of Shanghai Pudong International Airport, where the flight captain, cabin manager, and lucky passenger representatives participated in the event.
It is reported that this route is the first direct flight opened by a Chinese airline between Shanghai and Geneva. It will be implemented regularly in the summer and autumn season of 2025, with one flight each on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday. The outbound flight MU217 took off from Shanghai Pudong International Airport at 1:30 am and arrived in Geneva at 7:50 local time; the return flight MU218 departed from Geneva at midnight local time and arrived in Shanghai at 05:30 the next day. China Eastern Airlines will use Airbus A350 or A330 large wide-body aircraft on this route. Both models are equipped with high-speed air-ground interconnection functions, and passengers can experience "full online" in-flight Internet services during the flight.
Located in southwestern Switzerland, Geneva is an important diplomatic and international affairs center in Europe. It is known as the "City of Peace" and is also the headquarters of many international organizations. Geneva has the beautiful Lake Geneva, the majestic Alps, anda rich cultural heritage. It is one of the tourist destinations that tourists from all over the world yearn for. 2025 is the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Switzerland. The opening of China Eastern Airlines' Shanghai-Geneva route will connect European style with oriental charm, greatly facilitating business, tourism, and cultural and economic exchanges between China and Europe. As a Nestlé employee working in Shanghai said: "The opening of the new route provides more travel options for Nestlé Chinese employees to travel between China and Nestlé's Swiss headquarters." Nestlé will also take the opening of this route as an opportunity to cooperate with China Eastern Airlines to launch a co-branded coffee.
So far, China Eastern Airlines has opened routes from China to Paris, London, Frankfurt, Amsterdam, Madrid, Rome, Venice, Budapest, Moscow, Kazan, St. Petersburg, Milan, Marseille, Geneva and other European cities. With the new Shanghai-Milan route to be opened on June 20 and the new Shanghai-Copenhagen route to be opened on July 17, China Eastern Airlines will soon have flights to 15 European cities.
