China Eastern Airlines is expected to announce its participation in the SkyTeam airline alliance on Friday.

Spokeswoman Liu Jiangbo said a ceremony will be held on April 16 to announce China Eastern's decision, but wouldn't disclose which alliance it would join.

France's La Tribune reported yesterday that the carrier was expected to sign an agreement to join SkyTeam.

SkyTeam Alliance has 11 airline members, including China Southern Airlines, Air France-KLM, Delta Air Lines Inc and Korean Air Lines Co.

The alliance offers 13,133 daily flights covering 856 destinations in 169 countries.

Shanghai-based China Eastern is the only one of China's three largest carriers not yet in a global industry alliance. China Southern is a member of SkyTeam and Air China a member of the Star Alliance.