cherry growers gained airlift capacity into China with the launch today of weekly service between Seattle and Shanghai on China Eastern Airlines. The new service serving Seattle-Tacoma International Airport will carry more than 400 metric tons of cherries to China from Northwest shippers.chinaeasternair-logoIn addition, China Eastern runs an e-commerce site, Eastern Origin Express, seeking to provide a means for consumers to order agricultural products directly from producers from around the world, an effort to reduce costs, improve efficiency and maintain product quality.
The inaugural flight of Seattle-Shangai service was scheduled for a welcome ceremony in Shanghai on June 12. On the following day, China Eastern Airlines’ passengers will be provided free northwest cherry tastings on selected flights.
Northwest Cherry Growers, which markets cherries for growers, welcomed the news.
“The northwest cherry harvest season is just the beginning,” said Keith Hu, director of international operations at Northwest Cherry Growers. “We’re excited to provide the first agricultural product exported to China as part of China Eastern’s new service, and we look forward to providing 1.3 billion Chinese citizens delicious northwest cherries.”
