Photo: Nanfang Plus

China's homegrown C919 made its first commercial landing in Shenzhen on May 18, marking a significant milestone in the aircraft's growing operational footprint. Operated by China Eastern Airlines, flight MU5331 departed from Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport at 9:28 am and arrived at Shenzhen Bao'an International Airport just over two hours later at 11:31 am.

With this launch, the C919 now serves 13 regular routes under China Eastern Airlines, the largest operator of the aircraft.

Starting on May 19, the C919 operates daily on the Shanghai–Shenzhen route as flights MU5351 and MU5360. The outbound service departs from Shanghai at 5:40 pm, arriving in Shenzhen at 8:05 pm, while the return flight leaves Shenzhen at 9:30 pm, landing back in Shanghai just before midnight.

China Eastern Airlines currently operates a fleet of 10 C919 jets, with a total of 105 on order. The aircraft has accumulated over 26,000 flight hours, handled more than 10,000 commercial flights, and transported over 1.5 million passengers since it was put into service.