China Eastern Airlines inaugurated its first direct Shanghai Pudong–Tbilisi service on 15 July 2026, deploying Airbus A330-200 wide-body aircraft for the 6,718 km nonstop link. The MU285/286 rotation operates three times weekly (Wed, Fri, Sun), cutting outbound flight time to 10h10m and return to 9h, eliminating prior 16–23h connections via Xi’an, Istanbul, or Dubai. This marks the carrier’s first Georgia service and the third Chinese airline on the route, leveraging the May 2024 visa-exemption agreement to target high-yield leisure and MICE traffic from China’s Yangtze Delta. Economy fares start at $577.10 including tax; business and first-class seats are priced at $2,155.10.