SHANGHAI, April 15 (Reuters) - China Eastern Airlines plans to expand its fleet of aircraft to more than 800 by 2020, up from 561 as of the end of 2015, its president Ma Xulun said in an interview on Friday.

The plans to acquire hundreds of new planes come as China Eastern seeks to boost long-haul traffic to and from the United States after a $450 million equity deal with Delta Air Lines Inc last year. Delta agreed to buy 3.55 percent of China Eastern, becoming the first U.S. carrier to own part of a Chinese airline. (Reporting by Fang Yan and Matthew Miller; Editing by Kenneth Maxwell)