Emirates, Loong Air Sign China Interline Partnership

DUBAI — Emirates (EK) has signed an interline partnership with China’s Loong Air (GJ), expanding onward access beyond its own mainland gateways. Effective immediately, Emirates says customers can connect to 22 destinations across China on GJ services via Hangzhou (HGH), Shenzhen (SZX), and Hong Kong (HKG).

The airlines are positioning the tie-up as a smoother domestic add-on: single-ticket itineraries, a single baggage policy, and aligned fare conditions. Emirates highlighted added reach to domestic hubs including Zhengzhou, Changchun, Haikou, Xiangyang, and Dazhou, with itineraries sold through Emirates’ channels and major GDS/OTAs; Emirates also noted WeChat Pay and Alipay for online payments on its site.

Emirates framed the agreement as part of a broader China buildout: it now serves five mainland cities with 49 weekly flights (Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Hangzhou) and already partners with carriers including Air China and China Southern to extend beyond its own network.

The partnership is a pragmatic way for EK to push deeper into China’s secondary markets without adding its own metal, using interline connectivity to widen the addressable market for its Dubai services, while keeping the operational risk and capacity commitment lower than launching new long-haul points.