China Eastern Airlines launched a new regular flight between Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport and Shenzhen Bao'an International Airport on May 18. Operated by the C919, it is the 13th commercial route using China's first domestically developed narrow-body aircraft.

According to the schedule, the airline is expected to take delivery of another 10 C919 aircraft this year, bringing its fleet size to 20.

As the first global customer of the C919, China Eastern has purchased a total of 105 aircraft from its manufacturer, Commercial Aircraft Corp of China. The Shanghai-based airline currently operates the world's largest C919 fleet, with 10 jets in service.

China Eastern will mark the second anniversary of the C919's maiden commercial flight at the end of this month. The inaugural flight was conducted on May 28, 2023, between Shanghai Hongqiao and Beijing Capital International Airport.

With the launch of this new flight, China Eastern's C919 fleet currently services 11 cities: Shanghai, Beijing, Chongqing, Chengdu of Sichuan province, Xi'an of Shaanxi province, Guangzhou of Guangdong province, Taiyuan of Shanxi province, Wuhan of Hubei province, Shenyang of Liaoning province, Shenzhen and Hong Kong.

As of May 18, China Eastern's C919 fleet has safely conducted more than 10,000 commercial flights and completed more than 1.5 million passenger trips.