Japan Airlines (JAL) today filed an application with Japan’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) seeking immunity from antitrust laws to create a joint venture (JV) with China Eastern Airlines. If approved, the carriers' will jointly feature over 50 cities in Japan and over 80 on China's domestic routes, providing countless advantages for consumers in both countries.

Since the two airlines began offering codeshare flight operations in 2002, JAL and China Eastern have offered premium services on their respective network. The antitrust immunized JV will allow the two companies to further coordinate marketing, sales, and product development efforts to create more benefits for their mutual customers.