Liu Shaoyong, the general manager of China Eastern Airlines, has disclosed to the local media that China Eastern has been preparing to shift its flight capacity to the Chinese mainland market for 2009.

Liu believed that with an investment of?4 trillion yuan?to be put in place in the next two years, China's domestic economy will be greatly stimulated and its aviation market will be revitalized.

It is reported that China Eastern has taken four measures, including enhancing its revenue-earning capacity, controlling expenditure, strengthening risk management, and seeking for policy support to get through the current crisis. In addition, it has also taken a series of measures to streamline its business, including reducing its share in Xingfu Airlines and quitting the plan to investing in the start-up of Tibetan Airlines.

Liu said that 2009 will be a hard year for China Eastern: however it is also an opportunity for the company to re-vitalize itself.

(China Hospitality News February 4, 2009)