China Eastern Airlines Draws Wide Attention for Sustainable Practices at an International Forum on Global Ecological Civilization Construction

SHANGHAI--(BUSINESS WIRE)--China Eastern Airlines (CEAir), one of China's major airlines, recently garnered widespread attention for its sustainable practices at the 2026 Erhai Forum on Global Ecological Civilization Construction in Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Yunnan Province.

The forum brought together over 260 representatives from Chinese and foreign enterprises, academic institutions, youth organizations, and media outlets.

In its speech titled "Painting an Ecological Landscape with Green Flight Trails," CEAir shared how it has comprehensively integrated the green development philosophy into its strategic planning and operations.

According to CEAir, it has made significant progress in sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) adoption, with more than 10,000 tonnes used in 2025 alone, reducing carbon emissions by an amount equivalent to what around 2.4 million trees would absorb.

Through fleet optimization, retirement of aging aircraft, and the deployment of 21 new-energy specialized ground support vehicles, CEAir has reduced carbon emissions per unit of traffic by 5.4 percent in 2025.

Green innovations are evident across CEAir's passenger services and experiences.

The airline's Light Fly on-demand in-flight meal service, for instance, effectively reduces food waste, while sustainability-themed flights and dedicated sections on its official website, app, and WeChat mini-program encourage passengers to embrace low-carbon travel.

CEAir has replaced 53 types of onboard items with biodegradable alternatives and adopted eco-friendly meal boxes. Each tonne of the boxes can cut carbon emissions by up to 15.6 tonnes.

Additionally, its introduction of lightweight service trolleys has cumulatively reduced aircraft weight by more than 1.6 tonnes.

The airline's sustainability efforts also extend to biodiversity conservation.

It operates a professional live-animal transport system and has successfully completed multiple cross-border animal transport missions.

CEAir's special flights featuring biodiversity conservation, such as those focused on black-headed gulls at Dianchi Lake in Kunming, Yunnan Province, have transformed aircraft cabins into airborne platforms for ecological conservation and science education.