China's domestically produced large aircraft C919 secures its first regular international scheduled route

According to information from the China Civil Aviation Network, on July 18, 2026, Air China officially updated its ticketing system with new flight operation plans, announcing a major development: starting August 13, the round-trip flights CA723/CA724 between Beijing Capital and Ulaanbaatar will be fully operated daily by the domestically manufactured C919 large passenger aircraft. This marks the first truly regular commercial passenger service on an international scheduled route for the C919 since its entry into commercial operations three years ago, signifying that China’s homegrown mainline jet has officially entered a new phase of international routine operations.

Looking at the flight schedule, the outbound flight CA723 departs from Terminal 3 at Beijing Capital Airport daily at 15:00, landing at Chinggis Khan Airport in Ulaanbaatar at 17:15 local time, with a total flight duration of 2 hours and 15 minutes; the return flight CA724 departs Ulaanbaatar at 18:30 local time and returns to Beijing Capital at 20:35, offering a moderate one-way journey perfectly aligned with the C919’s positioning as a medium- to short-haul mainline aircraft. Currently, tickets for this route are available for online booking across all platforms. Economy class starts at 2,660 RMB, while business class begins at 3,230 RMB. Passengers can directly select C919-specific seats via the Air China APP or physical counters.

Previously, although the C919 had some overseas appearances, none were part of regular commercial operations. Earlier, C919 aircraft operated by China Eastern and China Southern were only used for static displays and test flights at international air shows in Singapore and Dubai. The Shanghai-Hong Kong and Beijing-Hong Kong routes launched by Air China and China Eastern are classified as domestic regional routes and do not fall under the category of international flights. Previously, the Hohhot-Ulaanbaatar route was served by the domestic regional jet C909; this upgrade to the mainline C919 now represents a significant leap in China’s civil aviation export strategy—from regional aircraft to mainline jets.

The C919 large passenger aircraft is China’s first jetliner developed independently according to internationally recognized aviation standards, with full intellectual property rights.

Original source: toutiao.com/article/1871109082453259/

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