The delivery delays come as Boeing continues to face scrutiny over the safety of the 737 MAX family following the mid-air blowout of a door plug on board an Alaska Airlines MAX 9 in January.
The airline – which has just celebrated its first anniversary – has repeatedly suggested it would be quick to adjust its ‘point-to-point’ network, arguing that demand for an unusual service can rarely be gauged in advance.
Do you fancy being on it? It arrives at 01:30!
The first flight from Shanghai Pudong, MU7389, touched down just after 10:30am on Friday aboard the 232-seat A330-200 B-8231. China Eastern will operate three non-stop return services per week, on Monday, Thursday and Saturday, until 18 February.