C919 begins Shanghai-HK regular flight

Travelers check in on Wednesday at a China Eastern counter at Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport for boarding the C919 maiden flight to Hong Kong International Airport. (YIN LIQIN/CHINA NEWS SERVICE)

China's domestically developed passenger aircraft, the C919, successfully completed its maiden flight from Shanghai to Hong Kong on New Year's Day, marking the jetliner's first commercial operation beyond the Chinese mainland.

China Eastern Airlines' Flight MU721, carrying 157 passengers, took off from Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport at 8:21 am on Wednesday and arrived at Hong Kong International Airport at 10:44 am, marking the inauguration of the route operating this aircraft.

Wan Xiangdong, head of the Civil Aviation Administration of China's East China Regional Administration, said that every achievement made by the C919 has clearly proved China's capability in science and technology.

The launch of a Shanghai-Hong Kong direct flight using the C919 will "further accumulate valuable experience" for the aircraft's commercial operation, "laying a solid foundation for the jetliner to tap into the broader international market", Wan said.

Liu Tiexiang, general manager of China Eastern Air Holding Co, said the flight has opened a new chapter in the high-quality development of the nation's self-developed passenger aircraft.

"Sharing similar cultures, Shanghai and Hong Kong are both international centers for finance, trade and shipping. The two cities have a long history of exchanges and economic cooperation. The new daily flight of the C919 is expected to better showcase China's capability in manufacturing and services by offering more diversified travel options," Liu said.

Since the aircraft's maiden commercial flight on May 28, 2023, China Eastern's C919 fleet has conducted more than 6,600 commercial flights and completed close to 1 million passenger trips, Liu added.

Mable Chan, Hong Kong's secretary for transport and logistics, said: "As the C919 achieved one milestone after another, we hoped that one day it would be used for regular flights to Hong Kong. Today, that dream of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government has finally come true."

As China's first trunk jetliner designed in accordance with international standards, the C919 started its commercial operation in May 2023 and it flew over the scenic Victoria Harbor in Hong Kong in December the same year.

Lin Zhijie, an aviation industry analyst, said the aircraft's commercial launch between Shanghai and Hong Kong will help it accumulate experience for further overseas use, which in turn will allow more passengers to experience China's self-developed jetliner.

Lin, who is also a columnist for China's civil aviation website Carnoc.com, said the operation record of the C919 shows the aircraft performs well and is safe, adding that more efforts should be made to further enhance its operational reliability.

Guo Jia, a civil aviation expert and a professor at Guangdong University of Foreign Studies' South China Business College, said that existing operation data shows the stability of the aircraft and it is only a matter of time before the C919 is used for more overseas commercial flights. "The maiden flight to Hong Kong was a business decision, but it has also demonstrated the growing enthusiasm of Hong Kong's people to travel onboard a Chinese-made aircraft," Guo said.

Jia Shun, a Shanghai resident visiting Hong Kong with his wife, said on Wednesday, after checking in at the airport, that he was very excited to learn that they would board the C919 aircraft. "We are looking forward to the plane's interior design and the overall travel experience, which I believe will be exceptional," Jia said.

Huang Jian, another passenger traveling to Hong Kong with seven members of his family, said: "I had always wanted to travel on board the C919 and my dream has come true. Taking the plane on the first day of 2025 is double happiness for our family."

China Eastern, the first global customer of the C919, has purchased 105 of these aircraft from the manufacturer, Commercial Aircraft Corp of China, and received its 10th jetliner on Tuesday. The Shanghai-based airline currently operates the largest C919 fleet globally.

Wednesday's flight made Hong Kong the ninth city where China Eastern is operating the C919 after Shanghai, Beijing, Chongqing, Chengdu in Sichuan province, Xi'an in Shaanxi province, Guangzhou in Guangdong province, Taiyuan in Shanxi province and Wuhan in Hubei province.