China Eastern Airlines (MU) will launch nonstop service between Shanghai Pudong International Airport (PVG) and Dublin Airport (DUB) on July 20, 2026, with three weekly frequencies on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. The route is operated by Airbus A350-900 aircraft: flight MU231 departs Shanghai at 01:40 and arrives Dublin at 08:00, while return flight MU232 departs Dublin at 10:55 and arrives Shanghai at 06:30 the following morning, per AeroRoutes.
At approximately 5,819 nautical miles (10,777 km), the route becomes Dublin Airport's longest-ever scheduled nonstop service, surpassing Aer Lingus's Los Angeles route, as Simple Flying confirmed in a dedicated article. China Eastern's ability to use Russian airspace enables a routing close to the great-circle path, keeping the westbound block time to around 13 hours and 20 minutes.
Aviation Week highlighted the Dublin launch as part of China Eastern's broader summer 2026 European expansion, which brings the carrier's European network to 14 destinations across 12 countries. The Shanghai–Dublin service is only the second nonstop link between China and Ireland, alongside Hainan Airlines' existing Dublin–Beijing route. The route targets the growing business, education, tourism, and cultural exchange traffic between the two countries, with bookings available through China Eastern's direct sales channels and partner agencies.
Sources
- https://aviationweek.com/air-transport/airports-networks/50-new-routes-launching-july-2026
- https://www.aeroroutes.com/eng/260512-mujul26dub
- https://simpleflying.com/5800-miles-dublins-new-longest-nonstop-route
- https://www.businesstravelnews.com/Transportation/Air/New-Airline-Routes-July-2026-Updates
Things to do at each end of the route
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