China's C919 aircraft begins to serve Guangzhou-Hefei air route

A round-trip route operated by China's domestically-produced C919 passenger jet between Guangzhou City of south China's Guangdong Province and Hefei City of east China's Anhui Province officially launched on Sunday, making Hefei the 23rd city in China to welcome the C919 into service.

Flight CZ3813, carrying 144 passengers, slowly taxied through a water salute after landing at Hefei Xinqiao International Airport, a prestigious aviation tradition, marking the C919's maiden flight to Hefei.

China Southern Airlines will use its C919 aircraft to operate up to five round-trip flights per week on this route during the peak tourist season in May.

China Southern Airlines, the country's largest carrier, now operates 10 C919 aircraft. As of Monday, its C919 fleet had completed more than 9,500 flights, transporting over 1.3 million passengers to 23 destinations.

Currently, the service network of the C919 is continuously expanding, efficiently connecting the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area with the Yangtze River Delta city cluster.

China's C919 aircraft begins to serve Guangzhou-Hefei air route

Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index closed higher on Friday thanks to the strong performance of the gold and jewelry stocks, said Timothy Pope, a market analyst for China Global Television Network (CGTN).

Hong Kong equities closed higher on Friday, with the benchmark Hang Seng Index gaining 1.93 percent to finish at 24,718.10 points.

The Hang Seng China Enterprises Index rose 1.91 percent to 8,374.43 points, while the Hang Seng Tech Index edged up 1.06 percent to 4,705.20 points.

"The Hang Seng Index rose 1.9 percent with gains in almost every sector. In Hong Kong we saw gold and jewelery stocks among the top performers, with jewelery chain Chow Tai Fook up more than 15 percent. But risk appetite was clearly more present today, if only in relief that the situation in the Middle East isn't escalating further - although, I think, the market would be steady to have the Strait of Hormuz open again," Pope said.

Hang Seng gains amid strong gold, jewelry market: analyst