China Eastern Airlines to Launch 'Shanghai-Zurich' Service on June 18

China Eastern Airlines will inaugurate three-times-weekly nonstop service between Shanghai Pudong International Airport (PVG) and Zurich Airport (ZRH) on June 18, 2026, operated by Airbus A350-900 aircraft under flight numbers MU255/256 (China Civil Aviation Administration).

Outbound flight MU255 departs Shanghai at 01:55 CST and arrives in Zurich at 07:55 local time. Return service MU256 departs Zurich at 14:05 and arrives in Shanghai the following morning at 06:40 CST. The route had been planned for June 2025 but was delayed; AeroRoutes confirmed the revised June 18 start date in March 2026 (AeroRoutes).

The Zurich–Shanghai route is the second direct service between China Eastern and Switzerland, following the Shanghai–Geneva route launched in 2025. Zurich is the largest city pair between Switzerland and China, accounting for roughly 92,300 of the ~345,000 total two-way passengers recorded in 2025—a market that grew 17.8% year-on-year, according to Sabre data cited by Aviation Week. Swiss currently operates the only other nonstop service on the Zurich–Shanghai corridor (Aviation Week).

With the launch, China Eastern will operate 29 weekly flights across 19 European cities. The airline benefits from access to Russian airspace, enabling shorter flight routings than most Western competitors on Europe–Asia routes (Shanghai Government).

Sources

• http://www.caac.gov.cn/English/BeltAndRoad/202604/t20260410_230525.html
• https://english.shanghai.gov.cn/en-Latest-WhatsNew/20260422/8b0fc9b2b9ff427eadfad8f82cada380.html
• https://www.aeroroutes.com/eng/260317-muns26zrh
• https://aviationweek.com/air-transport/airports-networks/50-new-routes-launching-june-2026