C919 Completes First Scheduled International Commercial Passenger Flight from Beijing to Ulaanbaatar
Dragon Media News Desk
China’s domestically developed C919 large passenger aircraft has completed its first scheduled international commercial passenger flight, marking a significant step in the global expansion of the country’s commercial aviation industry.
Air China flight CA723, operated by a C919 aircraft, departed Beijing Capital International Airport at around 3 pm on Wednesday and landed safely in Ulaanbaatar, the capital of Mongolia, after a flight of approximately one hour and 41 minutes.
A ceremonial water salute was held at the airport to welcome the aircraft, while passengers were received with traditional Mongolian cultural performances.
The Beijing-Ulaanbaatar route is being operated under flight numbers CA723 and CA724 as a daily scheduled service. With the launch of the route, the C919 has entered a new phase of regular international commercial passenger operations beyond the Chinese mainland.
The C919 is China’s first domestically developed trunk jetliner designed in accordance with international airworthiness standards. It was developed by the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China, or COMAC.
The aircraft completed its maiden commercial flight on May 28, 2023. Since then, it has been deployed on multiple domestic routes by China Eastern Airlines, Air China and China Southern Airlines.
According to COMAC, as of August 10, the C919 had served 57 routes connecting 25 cities and carried more than 7.5 million passenger trips. With the launch of the Ulaanbaatar service, the number of routes served by the aircraft has increased to 58 and the number of connected cities to 26.
The Beijing-Ulaanbaatar service is expected to provide the C919 with further cross-border operational experience and create a practical foundation for future expansion into additional markets, including Southeast Asia and Central Asia.
COMAC is also working to expand production capacity in the coming years, with a target of reaching annual production capacity of 200 C919 aircraft by 2029.
