Hong Kong welcomes inaugural C919 flight from China

The aircraft is operated by China Eastern Airlines.

To mark the start of the new year, the C919 passenger jet aircraft landed in Hong Kong, its first scheduled commercial flight outside of Mainland China.

The aircraft, operated by China Eastern Airlines, made a round-trip between Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) and Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport.

"We do hope that through this inaugural flight, we can innovate and establish ourselves in civil aviation, so as to demonstrate our position under 'one country, two systems' and our advantage of facilitating the Mainland's achievements to flourish with Hong Kong's position,” said Mable Chan, secretary for Transport and Logistics.

According to Chan, Hong Kong could demonstrate its strengths and advantages through aircraft maintenance, training, and aircraft leasing.

Prior to this development, a C919 flight demonstration over Hong Kong was conducted on 16 December 2023.

The Three Runway System at HKIA was also commissioned on 28 November 2024. This increased the airhub’s handling capacity by about 50%, to some 120 million passengers and 10 million tonnes of cargo a year by 2035.