PR85650

SHANGHAI, Sept. 17, 2020 /Xinhua=KYODO JBN/--

The high-profile China International Import Expo (CIIE)-themed airplane will

fly to Sri Lanka, the last destination of its global tour, on Sept. 18.

The plane will fly to Beijing Daxing International Airport on Sept. 25 to mark

the first anniversary of the airport's operation.

The special CIIE-themed aircraft was jointly launched by China Eastern Airlines

(CEA) and the CIIE Bureau on July 2 and made its maiden flight to Pairs one day

later, marking the beginning of its global tour.

Serving as the image ambassador of the CIIE during its global tour, the

aircraft will fly to 10 countries, including France, Canada, the United

Kingdom, the Netherlands, the United States, South Korea, Japan, Australia, and

Sri Lanka, with a total range exceeding 100,000 kilometers.

Meanwhile, the CIIE-themed airplane has attracted great attention from

international aviation enthusiasts for its gorgeous appearance and "Fly with

CIIE" has become a hot topic on social media platforms.

A Boeing 777-300ER jet, which is CEA's international long-haul flagship

aircraft with the largest passenger capacity, the longest range, and leading

passenger service system, was chosen as the world's first CIIE-themed airplane.

The dominant tones of the colored aircraft were the shades of yellow and blue,

which are also the theme colors of the CIIE. Besides, the CIIE's mascot panda

"Jinbao" holding a four-leaf clover on the plane expresses good wishes to

passengers from all over the world and promotes the CIIE's idea of openness and

cooperation.

CIIE exhibitors from various countries expressed their expectations about the

flight schedules of the plane after they were released.

Australian vitamin maker Blackmores has participated in the expo in the past

two years and will take part in the third CIIE.

"It's a very important platform for international cooperation for all companies

participating in the China International Import Expo. Encouraging exporters and

importers to share some innovations and new products is also important," said

the company's CEO Alastair Symington, expressing his expectation to attend the

third CIIE in Shanghai.

Besides, CEA launched full-process featured services such as CIIE-themed

passenger entertainment system, broadcast and boarding passes, and given a

CIIE-themed makeover at overseas airports including CIIE mascot dolls,

CIIE-themed airplane models, and billboards of the aircraft's global tour,

providing an immersive experience for passengers. A large number of passengers

stopped to take pictures.

CEA also chose the digit 115 as a lucky number, which indicates Nov. 5, the

opening day of the expo, to present CIIE souvenirs to the passenger with the

check-in serial number of 115 on the airplane's each flight.

The CIIE-themed plane will fly to Beijing Daxing International Airport on

Sept. 25 to mark the first anniversary of the airport's operation. It will also

continue its domestic tour in major cities including Beijing, Shanghai,

Guangzhou, Xi'an, and Kunming to support local governments and enterprises in

attending and publicizing the CIIE. The plane will mainly operate flights

between Beijing and Shanghai during the third CIIE from Nov. 5 to 10.

As the seventh-largest airline in the world and the largest main base airline

in Shanghai, the host for the CIIE, CEA will play multi-roles of a sponsor,

carrier, purchaser, and service provider.

CEA will seize the opportunities brought by the expo to realize "purchasing,

flying and serving worldwide." It will continue to optimize the external

cooperation of the aviation industry chain, serve the expo, and inject new

vitality and new impetus into the internationalization strategy and

high-quality development of enterprises for mutual benefits.

Source: China Eastern Airlines