According to AFP, Air China on August 12 (local time) put a Chinese-made C919 aircraft into operation on the route from Beijing International Airport to Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, with 1 round-trip flight per day.
This flight is seen as China's effort to break the decades-long monopoly on the aerospace industry of Boeing and Airbus.
The C919 aircraft is manufactured by China Commercial Aircraft Corporation (COMAC) and is introduced as a potential competitor to Boeing 737 and Airbus A320.
China expects domestically produced aircraft to help the country reduce dependence on foreign technology and gain a foothold in the global aviation market.
Although manufactured in China, C919 still uses components from many countries, including the US, and has not been licensed by aviation regulators in the US and Europe.
This aircraft line made its first commercial flight in May 2023 on the Shanghai - Beijing route. Since then, C919 aircraft have been regularly operated on domestic routes in China and with Hong Kong (China).
COMAC once brought the C919 to perform at Singapore Airshows in 2024, 2026 and Dubai Airshow in 2025. The airline has also initially penetrated the international market with the smaller C909 series, with a capacity of 78 - 97 passengers.
