China Eastern to fly Abu Dhabi four times a week

China Eastern Airlines will begin direct flights between Shanghai and Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, on April 28.

The airline will enter into a codeshare agreement with UAE carrier Etihad Airways to boost connectivity between the two regions.

The new route, with flight numbers MU237/238, will fly four times per week on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays.

The outbound flight will leave Shanghai Pudong International Airport at 3:10pm Beijing time and arrive at Abu Dhabi International Airport at 9:20pm local time.

The inbound flight will depart from Abu Dhabi at 11:20pm local time and arrive in Shanghai at 12:40pm the following day.

Airbus A330 wide-body airliner with high-speed in-flight Wi-Fi will be used on the route.

China Eastern's flights will depart from Abu Dhabi International Airport's newly opened Terminal A, which also serves as Etihad Airways' base. This collaboration will allow tourists to make seamless connections, providing easy transit options to locations in the Middle East, Africa, and Europe.

As of March 3-9, China Eastern Airlines operates five Middle Eastern routes with a total of 20 weekly flights, including seven weekly flights between Shanghai and Dubai, four weekly flights between Shanghai and Riyadh, three weekly flights between Xi'an and Dubai, three weekly flights between Qingdao and Dubai, and three weekly flights between Kunming and Dubai.

Tickets are available online, with economy class fare starting at 3,421 yuan (US$470) on Trip.com.