Passengers experience China-made C919's first international commercial flight to Mongolia

Passengers gained a firsthand experience of the first international commercial route of China's domestically developed large passenger aircraft as the CA723 flight, operated by the C919, took off from Beijing on Wednesday afternoon for Ulaanbaatar, capital of Mongolia.

At 15:17, flight CA723 departed on schedule from Beijing Capital International Airport, carrying 111 passengers.

The flight landed smoothly at 16:58, marking the official start of scheduled international commercial operations for the homegrown aircraft.

A grand water salute ceremony was held at the new Ulaanbaatar airport in Mongolia. Passengers gradually disembarked from the aircraft, watched a unique ethnic dance performance, and were greeted by a procession of attendants dressed in traditional Mongolian attire.

The C919 is China's first self-developed trunk jetliner in accordance with international airworthiness standards and registered with independent intellectual property rights.

"I've been wanting to fly on the homegrown C919 large passenger aircraft for a long time. This time, I'm traveling to Mongolia and happened to catch the C919's first international flight. I feel so lucky," said Wu, a passenger.

"I work in equipment manufacturing as well. It just so happens that I got to travel on China's domestically made equipment this time. I do feel a sense of pride," said Hu, another passenger.

"We have made thorough preparations for today's weather conditions and the aircraft's status, including reviewing contingency plans for any unusual situations. The aircraft has been operating very smoothly in regular service, and I believe it is fully capable of ensuring the operation of our international commercial routes," said Wang Yan, C919 captain of Air China.

As of now, C919 aircraft operated by Air China, China Eastern Airlines and China Southern Airlines have cumulatively opened 58 routes, served 26 cities, and carried more than 7.5 million passengers. Since its maiden commercial flight on May 28, 2023, the C919 has made multiple appearances at overseas airshows.

Passengers experience China-made C919's first international commercial flight to Mongolia

The Chinese and Indonesian navies successfully completed a naval navigation exercise in waters east of China's Taiwan Island on Wednesday, according to Chinese military authorities.

The exercise involved the Chinese naval vessel Honghe and Indonesian Navy frigate KRI I Gusti Ngurah Rai, a military statement said.

During the exercise, the two warships formed a naval formation and conducted practical drills covering maritime communications, formation maneuvers, underway replenishment, and a parting ceremony.

During the communications drill, crews from both navies practiced real-time maritime information exchange, tactical order transmission, and flag semaphore signaling.

"In this joint exercise with a foreign navy, all tactical communication brevity codes and signal flag procedures strictly followed international standards, effectively validating our maritime communication and information exchange capabilities with naval vessels of other nations,"said Gao Yongjie, an officer aboard the Chinese naval vessel Honghe.

After that, the two vessels transitioned to an underway replenishment exercise. Operating under a pre-coordinated replenishment plan, both ships executed precise maneuvering to assume their designated replenishment stations.

"At-sea replenishment places high demands on ship maneuvering and command coordination. Through this exercise, we have continuously refined the at-sea replenishment command procedures with the Indonesian naval vessel, enhancing our mutual coordination and interoperability," said Jin Xiasheng, another officer aboard the Honghe.

The exercise demonstrated the two navies' willingness and capability to conduct practical cooperation and jointly contribute to regional peace and stability, said a statement from the Chinese military.

China, Indonesia wrap up naval navigation exercise in waters east of Taiwan Island