China Eastern Airline Launches First C-919 Comac Flight To Hong Kong
China Eastern Airlines, the third-largest airline in China, has started using a domestically produced, narrowbody passenger jet, the C919, on the Shanghai-Hong Kong route, starting January 1, 2025.
Manufactured by the State-owned Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC) in Shanghai, the C919 has recently replaced the A321 and A330 aircraft on daily flights MU721/722 between Shanghai’s Hongqiao airport and Hong Kong.
According to a press statement by China Eastern, the flight departed from Shanghai at 08:15 and landed in Hong Kong at 10:50 and on the return journey, it left Hong Kong at 11:55 and arrived back at Hongqiao airport at 13:55.
The statement adds that the C919 aircraft is configured in a two-class layout, featuring eight recliner seats in a 2-2 business class arrangement and 156 seats in a 3-3 economy class arrangement.
Moreover, the state-owned enterprise has delivered 10 C919 passenger jets so far, with plans to supply an additional 105 C919s to China Eastern Airlines.
According to COMAC, the company has received around 1,000 orders for the C919 from both domestic and international customers.
As of November 2024, China Eastern Airlines operates a total fleet of 796 aircraft as part of its group fleet. Additionally, Air China and China Southern Airlines are also serving as launch operators for the domestically produced C919.
The statement adds that the airline, a member of SkyTeam, global alliance of airlines, has recently launched new flights between Wuhan and Hanoi. Simultaneously, it has expanded the frequency of flights on various routes, including Shanghai Pudong–London Heathrow, Shanghai Pudong–Toronto, Shanghai Pudong–Brisbane, Shanghai Pudong–Sapporo, Kunming–Vientiane, Kunming–Singapore, Kunming–Ho Chi Minh City, and Lanzhou–Bangkok.
However, as of November 30, 2024, China Eastern Airlines has recovered only 92.5 pc of its pre-pandemic international capacity.