newstodate.aero

Jan 09, 2020 (newstodate): Good news for Stockholm Arlanda Airport in May 2019: China Eastern Airlines will go year-round between Shanghai and Stockholm!
   Less-good-news  for Stockholm Airport in January 2020: starting from next week, China Eastern Airlines is suspending flights between Shanghai and Stockholm Arlanda for five months, converting the service back to seasonal operations only from summer 2020.
   The carrier is thus suspending services from January 15, 2020, returning from June 15, 2020, with only three weekly rotations.
   China Eastern Airlines launched flights on the route on June 16, 2018, with four weekly rotations using Airbus A330-200 aircraft during the summer 2018 schedule, and hibernating during winter 2018/19.
   Shanghai ranks as the #1 cargo destination in the Swedish airfreight market.  
   The reduction of China Eastern Airlines' services deals another blot to efforts by Swedavia to sustain its long-haul network at Stockholm Arlanda Airport after the loss of Norwegian's intercontinental flights as well as the move to Copenhagen Airport by SAS of its flights to Hong Kong and Los Angeles.
   Today, Air China remains a long-time provider of flights between Stockholm and Beijing, Singapore Airlines is present on the route between Stockholm and Singapore via Moscow since May 2017, and Air India's three weekly flights from Delhi were launched on August 16, 2017.
    The pressure on Stockholm Airport's intercontinental flights is currently further boosted by a weak Swedish currency as well as Sweden's environmentalist-oriented introduction of a tax on airline tickets, but also the easy access from Southern Sweden to Copenhagen Airport in the south, and Finnair's expanding Asian route network at Helsinki Airport vying for passengers from Sweden.