CATHAY Pacific Airways Ltd plans to bid for a major stake in China Eastern Airlines Corp (stock code: 600115), the Daily Telegraph reported, without saying where it obtained the information.

The Hong Kong-based carrier is expected to make an announcement this week that it's making an offer for a large stake in China Eastern, which is valued at about US$4 billion, the Telegraph said on its Website.

Cathay Pacific may enlist the support of Air China Ltd, the country's largest state-owned airline and the owner of 11 percent of China Eastern's Hong Kong-listed shares, the report said. Cathay's spokeswoman Carolyn Leung declined to comment.

China Eastern agreed to sell a combined 24 percent stake to Singapore Airlines Ltd and Temasek Holdings Pte for US$918 million on September 2, Bloomberg News said.

Air China's parent may try to rally support from other shareholders to block the SIA deal, Citigroup Inc's analyst Ally Ma said in a report last week.