China’s domestically developed C919 large passenger aircraft landed safely in Ulaanbaatar, capital of Mongolia, on Wednesday afternoon, marking the completion of its first international commercial flight.
At 3 pm, the C919 took off from Beijing Capital International Airport and arrived at Chinggis Khaan International Airport in Ulaanbaatar at 4:58 pm local time. Upon landing, the aircraft was greeted with a water cannon salute — the highest ceremonial honor in international civil aviation.
Starting from Wednesday, Air China’s C919 began operating the Beijing-Ulaanbaatar round-trip route, with flight number CA723/4, at a frequency of 7 flights per week.
Currently, domestically produced C909 aircraft operates regular flights on the Hohhot-Ulaanbaatar round-trip route.
With the successful maiden flight of the C919 to Ulaanbaatar, the two types of domestically produced passenger aircraft have now achieved joint operations at an overseas airport, according to People’s Daily on Wednesday.
Since the delivery of Air China’s first C919 aircraft in August 2024, the fleet has steadily expanded. As of now, Air China’s C919 fleet has grown to 12 aircraft, with a cumulative total of over 12,000 safe flights and more than 1.62 million passenger trips carried, the carrier said on Wednesday.
To date, C919 aircraft operated by Air China, China Eastern Airlines, and China Southern Airlines have cumulatively opened 58 routes, served 26 cities, and carried over 7.5 million passengers.
Since entering commercial service on May 28, 2023, the C919 aircraft has made appearances at overseas airshows, with participations in the Singapore Airshow twice and the Dubai Airshow once.