China Eastern Airlines is still negotiating with Singapore Airlines (SIA) on selling a stake to the latter, and the two sides are very likely to complete the deal, said Li Fenghua, chairman of the Chinese air carrier.

Li also disclosed that the company intends to raise RMB 15 billion to fund its fleet expansion and training.   The fund is expected to come from the equity deal, share placement and government subsidies.

China Eastern's passenger throughput in April went down 0.3% year-on-year, due to a 2.8% decline in the number of passengers on international flights.