Shanghai Airlines, a wholly-owned subsidiary of China Eastern Airlines, revealed plans to launch flights between its Shanghai Pudong Airport hub and Japan’s sixth-largest city, Fukuoka. The flights are scheduled to operate from early January 2024.
Continue reading to learn more about the new route.
Shanghai Airlines’ Upcoming Pudong – Fukuoka Route
The new route will start operating on January 6, 2024, and run three times a week. The flights will operate with the following schedule:
- FM837 / Shanghai Pudong – Fukuoka / 7:50AM – 10:50AM / Tue, Thu, Sat
- FM838 / Fukuoka – Shanghai Pudong / 12:00PM – 12:50PM / Tue, Thu
- FM838 / Fukuoka – Shanghai Pudong / 11:55AM – 12:50PM / Sat
Shanghai Airlines will use Boeing 737 aircraft on the flights. It remains unclear whether it will be its 737-700s, 737-800s, or 737-8s. More likely, it will be one of the latter two.
Both the 737-800s and 737-8s are equipped with eight recliner business class seats in two 2-2 rows. The former has 156 economy class seats for a total of 164 seats while the latter has 168 economy class seats for a total of 176 seats. Economy class on both types is in the standard 3-3 layout.
The 737-700 seats 140 people in total while maintaining the same eight business class seats as the larger variants.
While the flights do not appear in Google Flights yet, they are already bookable on the China Eastern website.
Three Other Airlines Already Operate on the Route
While this will be Shanghai Airlines’ first route to Fukuoka, the airline will not be the first one to connect the two cities.
Shanghai Airlines’ parent and SkyTeam member China Eastern Airlines already operates two daily flights on the route. Both of its flights are operated by Airbus A320s (mainly neo) which offer a slightly lower overall capacity per flight while having the same number of business class seats as Shanghai Airlines’ 737s.
Additionally, the Star Alliance member Air China and the Chinese low-cost Spring Airlines run flights between Shanghai Pudong and Fukuoka too. The latter is the sole low-cost option. While Air China uses Airbus A321s on the flights, Spring Airlines uses A320s. Neither of the two airlines operates the flights daily.
Shanghai Airlines Already Serves Other Destinations in Japan
Currently, Shanghai Airlines serves three other destinations in Japan.
It operates two daily flights between Shanghai and Tokyo Haneda. One of those is operated by Boeing 737-800s and uses Pudong Airport in Shanghai. The other one is operated by 787-9s and uses the more conveniently located Hongqiao Airport.
The airline also flies from Shanghai to Nagoya Chubu five times a week and to Toyama on the Sea of Japan side of the country twice a week. While the former is operated using 737-800s, the latter uses the smaller 737-700s.
Shanghai Airlines is the only airline operating between Shanghai and Toyama. Multiple other airlines operate on the other routes in addition to Shanghai Airlines.
Summary
In just over a month, Shanghai Airlines will be launching its fourth destination in Japan – Fukuoka. It will be the first time for the airline to operate to the city in Kyushu. That said, the route from Shanghai Pudong is already served by its parent China Eastern Airlines as well as Air China and Spring Airlines.
Shanghai Airlines will operate the route three times a week using Boeing 737 aircraft.
