BEIJING, Oct. 9, 2009 (Xinhua News Agency) -- China Eastern Airlines Chairman Liu Shaoyong said Friday that his company expects to get approval of its merger plan with Shanghai Airlines from the securities regulator before the end of this year.

So far, the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council (SASAC) and the State Administration of Foreign Exchange (SAFE) have also nodded the merger plan. But the plan is yet waiting for the approval from China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC), Liu said.

Shareholders of both China Eastern Airlines Corp. (NYSE:CEA) (CEA.NYSE; 00670.HK; 600115.SH) and Shanghai Airlines (600591.SH) Friday approved their merger plan.

China Eastern said in July it would swap 1.3 of its Shanghai-listed A shares for every Shanghai Airlines share. Shanghai Airlines, which has 1.3 billion outstanding shares, will be delisted from the Shanghai stock exchange after the merger with China Eastern.

The deal is expected to create a carrier with more than half the market share in Shanghai.

Liu also told reporters that the airline had obtained antimonopoly approval from the Ministry of Commerce (MOC), an important prerequisite for the merger to go ahead. China Eastern is China's third-largest air carrier by fleet size, after China Southern Airlines (NYSE:ZNH) (600029.SH; ZNH.NYSE) and Air China (601111.SH).