China Eastern Airlines, a Shanghai-based Chinese airline giant, formally joined the SkyTeam airline alliance Tuesday, according to a company news release.

As a member of the SkyTeam alliance, China Eastern and Shanghai Airlines' passengers will be able to transfer to 921 destinations in 168 countries and regions through the SkyTeam network, according to an agreement signed on Tuesday.

China Eastern Airlines, along with its subsidiary Shanghai Airlines, will bring 32 new destinations to SkyTeam' s global network, which will help SkyTeam to grab a larger portion of China's air travel market.

China Eastern launched preparatory work for joining the SkyTeam Alliance a year ago.

The membership will greatly improve China Eastern's operation, services and networks, said Ma Xulun, general manager of China Eastern Airlines.

China Eastern Airlines, the country's second-largest airline company by passenger traffic, is the last of China's top three carriers to join a global alliance. China Southern Airlines is already a member of SkyTeam, while Air China belongs to the Star Alliance.

SkyTeam now has 14 members and flies to 168 countries and regions.