On Wednesday, China Eastern Airlines began operating regular flights between Shanghai and Hong Kong using China’s domestically produced C919 jetliner, becoming the first airline to utilize the C919 for scheduled commercial flights to Hong Kong.
China Eastern Airlines has placed an order for 105 C919 aircraft, holding the largest C919 fleet in the world. With this launch, Hong Kong becomes the ninth city served by the airline’s C919 fleet on regular commercial routes.
The airline plans to run daily round-trip flights following the introduction of this new route.
The C919 made its inaugural commercial flight from Shanghai to Beijing in May 2023, officially marking its entrance into the civil aviation market. The Shanghai-Beijing route has been operating regularly since January of this year.
The C919 is notable for being China’s first self-developed trunk jetliner, built to meet international airworthiness standards, and featuring independently registered intellectual property rights.
The C919 project was initiated by China in 2007, with development led by the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China, Ltd. The first C919 aircraft was produced in Shanghai in November 2015.
Photo: Xinhua news
