China Eastern Airlines started operating China's domestically-produced C919 jetliner for regular flights between Shanghai and Hong Kong on Wednesday.
Flight MU721 carrying 157 passengers took off from the Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport at 08:21 and arrived in Hong Kong at 10:44, marking the inauguration of this type of aircraft's regular services on this route.
China Eastern Airlines, the first airline to operate C919 for scheduled commercial flights to Hong Kong, currently plans to conduct daily round-trip flights with the jetliner.
Back in June 2024, China Eastern operated C919 for chartered flight to transport over 120 students from Hong Kong to Shanghai, indicating acceleration of commercial operation of the homegrown large passenger aircraft.
China Eastern currently has the largest fleet of C919 aircraft and operates the most C919 routes among all airlines. Since its inaugural commercial flight on May 28, 2023, the aircraft has served over 6,600 flights with cumulative over 16,000 flight hours, and carried more than 900,000 passengers.
China Eastern's C919 fleet now consists of 10 aircraft, flying to cities including Shanghai, Beijing, Chengdu, Xi'an, Guangzhou, Taiyuan, Chongqing, and Wuhan. With the addition of the Shanghai-Hong Kong route, the airline's C919 will operate nine premium routes to nine destinations.
China's C919 airliner begins regular Shanghai-Hong Kong flights
China's C919 airliner begins regular Shanghai-Hong Kong flights
Iranian Foreign Minister Seyyed Abbas Araghchi said that China has the credibility and goodwill to help broker a lasting peace in the Middle East, and expects it to play a bigger role in the region's peace process.
Araghchi visited China from Dec 27 to 28, 2024, and held talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Beijing.
In an interview with China Media Group (CMG) on Dec 28, Araghchi shared his thoughts on China's emerging role as a mediator in the Middle East, including its efforts to broker a reconciliation between Saudi Arabia and Iran.
On March 10, 2023, in a joint statement released with China in Beijing, Saudi Arabia and Iran announced that they had reached an agreement to reopen their embassies and diplomatic missions within two months, marking a milestone in the thawing of their relations.
"It has been more than a year (since the reconciliation between Saudi Arabia and Iran). The biggest achievement may be that Iran and Saudi Arabia have started a good process of restoring relations, and both sides are satisfied with the restoration of relations. The restoration of relations has brought benefits to both sides, and this (trend) is still continuing. The two sides have established a good relationship, and (related efforts) are still continuing. Of course, there is still a lot of untapped potential in Iran-Saudi relations, and the restoration of relations between the two countries is a gradual, slow but continuous process. We thank China for its efforts in this regard, and we know that China's help is full of goodwill and the effect is very good," said Araghchi. Araghchi also shared his expectations for China's role in the Middle East peace process in the future.
"We trust China, and we see China's goodwill. China maintains extensive economic and trade relations with all countries in the region, and maintains good and constructive relations with all countries. China is a respected and trustworthy country. I believe that such credibility can allow China to play a political role in the Middle East to help regional countries resolve differences and help them find a peaceful solution. Iran thanks China for its contribution and is willing to continue to cooperate with China," he said.
Iranian FM expects China to play bigger role in Middle East peace process
