China Eastern Airlines is reportedly angling to finalise talks to strengthen its relationship with partner airline Qantas, as it seeks to grow its Australian operations.
Qantas' strength in the domestic market has strong appeal for the Chinese carrier, the airline's general manager Oceania, Kathy Zhang, told the Australian Financial Review.
She revealed that president Liu Shaoyang will fly to Sydney later this month to drive discussions over an expanded alliance, but she admitted things are moving slowly.
The two carriers have been in talks for some time regarding a potential deepening of existing arrangements, with Qantas codesharing on onward flights from China Eastern's hub in Shanghai.
The two carriers are also collaborating on low cost carrier Jetstar Hong Kong, which is still pending regulatory approval ahead of its proposed launch later this year.
