China Eastern Airlines restarted nonstop service between Shanghai Pudong International Airport (PVG) and Stockholm Arlanda Airport (ARN) on June 22, 2026, ending a six-year suspension that began during the COVID-19 pandemic (AeroTime).
The route operates three times per week — on Mondays, Thursdays, and Saturdays — with Airbus A330-200 widebody aircraft under flight numbers MU289 (outbound from Shanghai) and MU290 (return). MU289 departs Shanghai Pudong at approximately 15:00 local time and arrives at Stockholm Arlanda around 21:10 after roughly 11 hours and 10 minutes; MU290 departs Stockholm at 22:40 and touches down in Shanghai the following afternoon (Aviation Source).
Swedavia, the operator of Stockholm Arlanda, confirmed the commercial rationale: "China is Sweden's largest trading partner in Asia, and Shanghai is the base for many major Swedish companies," with approximately 600 Swedish-related firms maintaining operations in the Shanghai region (TravelWires). The route also benefits high-value cargo logistics between Northern Europe and China.
The inaugural MU289 flight on June 22 operated as a full-load service, departing Shanghai at 16:01 and arriving in Stockholm without incident (Infinite Flight Community). China Eastern currently operates 28 European routes to 18 cities and has flagged further expansion, with additional routes to Tbilisi and Dublin planned.
Sources
- https://aviationsourcenews.com/china-eastern-airlines-to-resume-direct-flights-between-stockholm-and-shanghai
- https://aviationweek.com/air-transport/airports-networks/routes-networks-latest-rolling-daily-updates-wc-june-22-2026
- https://www.aerotime.aero/articles/china-eastern-to-resume-direct-shanghai-stockholm-route-after-six-year-hiatus
- https://www.travelwires.com/direct-stockholm-shanghai-flights-launch-in-june-2026
- https://community.infiniteflight.com/t/china-eastern-airlines-resumes-non-stop-shanghai-pudong-stockholm-route-after-six-years/1220834
Things to do at each end of the route
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