China’s Homegrown C919 Jet Expands Network with First Regular International Commercial Service

China has started deploying the country’s domestically manufactured passenger jet.

The domestically developed C919 passenger jet began regular international commercial service on August 12, 2026, with Air China launching a daily round trip between Beijing and Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.

Reports from Beijing say this is the first regular international commercial route for the narrow-body jet.

It is open to ordinary passengers and integrated into global ticketing systems, extending its reach beyond Chinese mainland routes and Hong Kong Special Administrative Region services.

The Beijing-Ulaanbaatar route was chosen partly because Mongolia recognizes China’s civil aviation airworthiness standards.

The new service takes the C919 beyond the domestic network where it has built most of its commercial experience since 2023.

It will help build expertise in cross-border operations, ranging from air traffic coordination to overseas maintenance.

At the same time the plane will be gathering international operating data.

As of July 31, C919 jets operated by Air China, China Eastern and China Southern had served 57 routes and carried more than 7.5 million passengers.

The new route marks a significant next step in the jet’s international expansion.

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 the capital of Mongolia, 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.

C919 aircraft is the first jet type trunk liner independently developed by China in accordance with international airworthiness standards and owning independent intellectual property right.

The baseline version of C919 aircraft has a layout of 158 to 192 seats and a range of 4,075 to 5,555 kilometers.

The first C919 aircraft rolled out on November 2nd, 2015, and completed the maiden flight successfully on May 5th, 2017.

The C919 aircraft obtained the Type Certificate (TC) from Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) on September 29th, 2022.

The world’s first C919 aircraft was delivered on December 9th, 2022, and successfully completed its first commercial flight on May 28th, 2023.

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.

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.