The airline said in an update that it plans to open more international routes between Shanghai Pudong International Airport and “Mumbai, Dublin, Cheongju, Manado, Surabaya, Tbilisi, and Ulaanbaatar”.
Hainan Airlines already operates direct flights from Beijing to Dublin but the China Eastern route would link Ireland to China’s financial capital and largest city, with its population of 25 million.
In 2019 Chinese airline Juneyao Air announced a twice weekly year-round route between Dublin and Shanghai but dropped the plan when the pandemic hit.
DAA said that it could not comment on the China Eastern statement except to say “we would welcome more connectivity to China and Asia”.
The news follows reports that formal negotiations on an Air Services Agreement (ASA) are taking place between Ireland and Brazil that could pave the way for a direct flight between the countries.
The China Eastern route would link Ireland to China’s financial capital and largest city, with its population of 25 million. Photo: Getty
A number of long-haul carriers are understood to be circling to get into Dublin Airport if and when the existing passenger cap is lifted.
But the rapidly rising price of oil in recent days could dampen that enthusiasm. Figures from the International Air Transport Association (IATA), the trade association for the world’s airlines, showed that the price of jet fuel rose 58pc last week.
DAA manages two airports in Saudi Arabia through its DAA International subsidiary and duty-free contracts in Bahrain, the UAE, Oman, Qatar and Beirut through Aer Rianta International (ARI).
A DAA spokeswoman said the company was “following the situation in the Middle East very closely”.
“The safety and welfare of our people is our top priority and we are in close contact with our local leadership teams. We can confirm that our colleagues across our Middle East operations – in both ARI and DAA International – are safe and being supported.”
While DAA International had “seen some reduction in regional flights to and from the airports we operate in Saudi Arabia, those operations continue as normal”.
“Across ARI’s retail operations in the region, we are seeing varying levels of disruption depending on the airport. Some locations are experiencing full or temporary closures or reduced flight schedules, while others continue to operate more normally. We remain in regular contact with our teams and are working closely with airport partners and local authorities as the situation evolves,” she said.
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