China's homegrown C919 jet begins first international commercial flights
China's domestically developed C919 large passenger aircraft has officially begun regular international commercial operations, with its inaugural flight departing from Beijing for Ulaanbaatar on Wednesday afternoon, CGTN reported.
Air China's CA723 took off from Beijing Capital International Airport at 3 p.m. local time for the two-hour trip. Upon arrival in Mongolia's capital, the aircraft is expected to receive a water-cannon salute, the highest ceremonial honor in civil aviation, to mark the historic milestone.
As of August 10, the C919 had served 57 routes linking 25 cities and had handled more than 7.5 million passenger trips, official data showed.
The aircraft has also been featured at major international airshows, including two editions of the Singapore Airshow and one in Dubai.
Earlier, it was reported that Astana airport had served 9.2 million passengers in 2025.
