China's C919 serves first overseas commercial chartered flight

SHANGHAI, June 1 (Xinhua) -- A C919 jetliner of the China Eastern Airlines fleet on Saturday kicked off its first overseas commercial chartered flight, providing a round-trip service between Shanghai and Hong Kong.

Flying from the Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport to the Hong Kong International Airport Saturday morning, it is expected to carry more than 100 Hong Kong young talents on its return trip on the same day.

On Tuesday, the sixth C919 jetliner delivered worldwide joined the China Eastern Airlines fleet on Tuesday, indicating the acceleration of commercial operation of China's homegrown large passenger aircraft.

This came one year after the first commercial flight of C919 was made. With its self-developed trunk jetliner, China aims to secure a share of the global civil aviation market, which is currently dominated by Boeing and Airbus.

As of Monday, the five C919 jetliners of China Eastern Airlines had completed more than 2,100 flights, accumulating 6,000-plus flight hours and transporting nearly 300,000 passengers in the first-year commercial operation.