China-built C919 to make its intl debut on Beijing-Ulaanbaatar route

Air China is set to begin operating the China-developed C919 on its daily Beijing-Ulaanbaatar service on Wednesday, marking the narrowbody jet's debut on a scheduled international passenger route.

As per the schedule, flight CA723 will depart Beijing Capital International Airport at 3 pm and arrive in the Mongolian capital at 5:15 pm. The return flight, CA724, will leave Ulaanbaatar at 6:30 pm and land in Beijing at 8:35 pm, Air China told China Daily. All times are local.

The service will take the C919 beyond the domestic network where it has accumulated most of its commercial experience since entering service in 2023. The aircraft previously appeared overseas at air shows and conducted demonstration flights. In 2024, it toured Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Malaysia and Indonesia to test its compatibility with airports, ground equipment and flight procedures, according to its manufacturer, Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China.

According to the corporation's official website, the C919 has a seating capacity of 158 to 192 and a range of 4,075 to 5,555 kilometers. It received its type certificate from the Civil Aviation Administration of China in September 2022 and made its first commercial flight with launch customer China Eastern Airlines in May 2023.

As of Aug 10, C919 aircraft operated by Air China, China Eastern and China Southern had served 57 routes connecting 25 cities and safely carried more than 7.5 million passengers, according to the corporation.