(Yicai Global) Aug. 3 -- China Eastern Airlines signed a memorandum of intent for joint operation and cooperation with Japan Airlines to set up a new cooperative partnership and conduct joint operations in the main China-Japan trunk air routes and domestic ones in both countries. The two expect to officially start working together next year, under the agreement they signed yesterday in Shanghai.

The parties will further work together in aviation travel products, airline network construction and transport capacity-sharing to improve tourists' travel experience, and will share revenue in main trunk air routes such as Shanghai-Tokyo, Shanghai-Osaka and Shanghai-Nagoya. Their collaboration will encompass more destinations, bringing the total to 80 in China and 50 in Japan, and freight rates, flight times and various services will be correspondingly optimized, state Xinhua News Agency reported.

The two air carriers will apply for approval from the Chinese and Japanese governments, after receipt of which they will jointly arrange more connecting flights and collaborate in sales teams, important clients, frequent travelers and VIP rooms. The cooperation with Tokyo-based Japan Airlines is the first time that China Eastern, which is headquartered in Shanghai, has explored high-intensity and multi-destination international short air routes.

The two companies have shared codes in China-Japan international flights and certain stretches of domestic flights in both countries and have 32 code-sharing China-Japan air routes. This cooperation transcends their association frameworks as Japan Airlines belongs to the Oneworld aviation association, while China Eastern is a member of SkyTeam.

Editor: Ben Armour