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
Commemorations honoring Chinese People's Volunteers (CPV) martyrs were held on the banks of the Yalu River in Dandong, Liaoning Province on Tuesday as part of ongoing tributes to those who fought in the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea (1950-1953).
The event was held to mark the return of the remains of 12 CPV martyrs, who were killed in the war, from the Republic of Korea (ROK) on Wednesday.
This will be the 13th such repatriation of CPV remains following the handover agreement between the two countries. Since 2014, the remains of 1,011 soldiers have been returned to China from the ROK, according to China's Ministry of Veterans Affairs.
More than 170 representatives, including veteran CPV soldiers, relatives of the martyrs, active-duty personnel, students, and other from various sectors of society, attended the event.
People boarded a ferry which slowly sailed down the Yalu River. Inside the cabin, all present stood in solemn silence as the national anthem of the People's Republic of China was played, and observed a moment of silence in honor of the CPV martyrs.
Then, they walked to the ship's railings one by one and scattered flower petals into the river to pay tribute to the martyrs.
"We, the CPV, went abroad to fight to defend our motherland, the people, and our good life and to resist U.S. imperialist aggression against the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK). I hope that our young comrades and students today will study hard and make contributions to our motherland," said Hu Changzhe, a CPV veteran.
"I feel deeply moved as these veteran soldiers are heroes who once fought for our country. Now, standing by the Yalu River, looking back on their past and remembering their comrades, they must be deeply touched," said Hong Jialu, a student at a branch of Liaoning Province Shiyan High School.
At the event, 10 student representatives from primary and middle schools read aloud a letter to express their reverence and remembrance for the heroic martyrs through their sincere words and heartfelt recitation.
The Korean War broke out in June 1950, eight months after the People's Republic of China was founded. At the request of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), China sent 2.9 million CPV soldiers to assist the DPRK during the war, of whom more than 360,000 were killed or injured.
Commemorations held to pay tribute to CPV heroes in northeast China
