China's C919 takes off on inaugural passenger flight

A new C919 plane fully loaded with passengers took off from Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport in the Guangdong provincial capital at 12:11 on Thursday, marking the official start of commercial operation of the domestically developed single-aisle jet.

Flight CZ3539 landed at Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport at 2:03 pm after a flight lasting around two hours, while the same aircraft, flight CZ3540, departed from Shanghai at 3:50 pm and arrived back in Guangzhou at 6:15 pm on the same day.

China Southern Airlines, one of China's three major airlines, organized a ceremony for the maiden flight of its first C919 plane on Thursday morning.

Han Wensheng, president of China Southern Air Holding Co Ltd, said the company would spare no effort to fully operate the first flight route of C919 from Guangzhou to Shanghai, providing safe, high-quality, and convenient air transportation services for passengers.

"We hope more passengers will choose to experience the charm of the domestically produced large aircraft and China Southern Airlines will continue to strengthen the operational support system for the C919 aircraft to lay a solid foundation for scale operations," said Han.