China's passenger jet C919 makes outstanding achievements during new stage of operation

A C919 aircraft arrives at Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport on July 29, 2024. (YIN LIQIN/CHINA NEWS SERVICE)

China's first domestically developed single-aisle passenger jet C919 has entered a new stage of multi-carrier operation. So far, 11 aircraft have been delivered, transporting more than 700,000 passenger trips, said its manufacturer on Friday.

The commercial operation of the C919 planes has topped 13,000 flying hours, said He Dongfeng, chairman of Commercial Aircraft Corp of China, the manufacturer, during a speech at the opening ceremony of the second CATA Aviation Conference, organized by the China Air Transport Association, in Beijing.

Meanwhile, China's first home-developed regional passenger jet, the ARJ21, has seen its commercial operation exceed 500,000 flying hours.

"This is an important milestone that marks further validation of the safety and reliability of the ARJ21 aircraft," He said.

The ARJ21 aircraft has been operating in domestic regions such as Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, Inner Mongolia autonomous region and Heilongjiang province, in addition to overseas markets such as Indonesia. A total of 148 aircraft have been delivered, serving 156 cities and carrying 17 million passenger trips.

In another development, CR929, a long-haul wide-body aircraft that is under research and development by China and Russia, is in the process of preliminary design and selection of suppliers, COMAC said.