The agreement was facilitated by the US coffee chain’s $7.1bn Global Coffee Alliance with Nestlé
China Eastern Airlines has tapped into an existing partnership with Swiss F&B giant Nestlé to serve Starbucks coffee onboard its carriers.
Shanghai-based China Eastern is one of China’s largest airlines, serving approximately 150 million passengers annually. Its fleet of 800 aircraft currently flies to over 1,000 destinations in 160 markets.
Nestlé has provided in-flight catering, instant Nescafé coffee and confectionery for China Eastern since 2010. First class and business class passengers will now be able to choose freshly brewed Starbucks coffee.
The move has been facilitated through Starbucks’ $7.1bn Global Coffee Alliance with Nestlé, which grants the Vevey-based F&B giant exclusive global rights to market and distribute Starbucks-branded retail packaged coffee, pods and ready-to-drink (RTD) products outside of Starbucks’ retail stores.
It also advances a partnership between China Eastern and Starbucks which began with the launch of a joint membership model in July 2025. Under the agreement, Starbucks China’s Rewards loyalty members and China Eastern’s frequent flyer members can link their accounts to earn reciprocal rewards.
Improving its in-flight coffee offer is part of a wider strategy by China Eastern to improve customer experience. In October 2025, the airline introduced complimentary in‑flight Wi‑Fi on all short-haul ‘Air Express’ shuttle routes in China, before scaling the rollout to all domestic flights three months later and to all international flights in July 2026.
The deal is Starbucks’ first airline partnership in China, adding to existing supply deals with Delta Airlines in the US and Germany’s Condor Airlines.
Seattle-based Starbucks launched in China in January 1999 with an outlet at the China World Trade Building in Beijing and currently operates over 8,000 stores in the country. In April 2026, the coffee chain sold a 60% stake in its China business to Hong Kong-based private equity firm Boyu Capital for $4bn.
