Why does China Eastern airlines still fly daily to Prague? [closed]
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The Czech Republic has been keeping their borders shut for more than a month now and likewise China closed their borders to all foreigners back in March. However mysteriously there is a daily flight between Shanghai and Prague: MU707. What is the purpose of this flight and who is making use of it?
As pointed out by @Relaxed this is the only non-chartered non-cargo flight that landed in Prague airport today, so there must be something special about it.
Best Answer
China Eastern airlines are used to haul face masks from China to Czech Republic.
Czech national radio website mentions China Eastern delivery from March.
I also found and an online newspaper article from 10th of April referring to China Eastern delivering face masks and Airbus 330–243 is specifically mentioned in that article.
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Is China Eastern Airlines good?
China Eastern Airlines is Certified as a 3-Star Airline for the quality of its airport and onboard product and staff service. Product rating includes seats, amenities, food & beverages, IFE, cleanliness etc, and service rating is for both cabin staff and ground staff.Where is China Eastern Airlines based?
Headquartered in Shanghai, China Eastern Airlines Co., Ltd. (CEA) is one of the three major airlines in China and could be traced back to the first squadron established in Shanghai in January 1957, and is the first Chinese airline to be listed on New York, Hong Kong and Shanghai stock markets.Is China Eastern flying to the US?
For the second-largest airline in China, China Eastern's route network to the United States is relatively small. There are a total of 5 routes operated to/from the United States, primarily from huge hub airports.Is China Eastern still flying to Australia?
China Eastern Airlines, China Southern Airlines and Xiamen Airlines have maintained regular services throughout the pandemic, mainly into Sydney, while the other five Chinese airlines have only run \u201cad hoc services\u201d \u2013 often to transport freight and cargo, including items like surgical masks, according to a Sydney ...China Eastern Airlines A330-200 (33H) Business Class Prague to Shanghai (MU708) 中國東方航空商務艙 布拉格 - 上海
More answers regarding why does China Eastern airlines still fly daily to Prague? [closed]
Answer 2
Few countries have actually “closed” their borders. The Czech restrictions seem to be among the most extensive, even after being relaxed somewhat, but do leave the possibility of travel for very limited reasons open. In particular, the Czech Republic did not, to my knowledge, close their airports and interrupt all flights into the country (which some other countries did do).
As to why that particular flight did happen, it's difficult to know for certain. There have been many discussion of nearly empty flights being operated for legal reasons (safeguarding slots and the like) but I am not sure that's a factor here. Freight is certainly a strong contender and Covid-19 actually created some new demand in that area as protective equipment, reagents, etc. are often sourced from outside Europe and especially China.
Finally, even if travel is limited to a handful of diplomats and experts, the occasional aid worker, and a few stranded nationals/residents trying to come back home, if you want to maintain safe distance inside a plane, it will fill up very quickly.
Answer 3
Some combination of:
They can (i.e., flights are permitted by the Czech authorities); and
There's money to be made now (from carrying either freight and/or passengers); and/or they want to keep their routes, and gates, and airport arrival and departure slots (which can all be at risk if they're not used); and/or they wish to pre-position their service to be already up and running as things loosen up in the transportation world.
The actual internal reasons and decision-making behind #2 are apt to be invisible to outsiders.
Answer 4
Czech Republic has been keeping their borders shut for more than a month now
Incorrect. A fair amount of nationals of over 30 countries can still enter Czech Republic (see https://www.iatatravelcentre.com/international-travel-document-news/1580226297.htm (mirror), e.g. people under age 18 or spouses of nationals of Czechia). And there are over 1.4 billion people who can still enter China.
More generally there are still quite a few lines in operation (e.g. see this samchui.com post (mirror)), sometimes with reduced frequency.
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