In late September, China Eastern Airlines was officially announced a recipient of "Friends of Thailand Awards 2008" by the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT). The carrier is the only mainland China-based airline that was given this honour.

Since 1996, the biennial "Friends of Thailand Awards" are commonly regarded as the highest recognition to businesses, organisations and individuals with significant contribution to the development of Thailand's tourism sector.

According to information gathered by CARNOC.com, China Eastern Airlines has long emphasised on the Thai market, which is clearly evidential by the deployment of modern Airbus A330 aircraft as well as various innovative products such as package tours etc.