Published: 17:24, November 7, 2024 | Updated: 17:32, November 7, 2024
Air China presents C919 for 25th anniversary of Macao’s return to the motherland
By Oswald Chan
Macao-bound Air China flight CA088 takes off from the Beijing Capital International Airport on Nov 7, 2024. The debut flight of the locally built C919 aircraft landed smoothly at Macao International Airport at 10:05 on Thursday. (PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY)

A C919 domestic aircraft, draped with the country’s five-star red flag, has made its debut in Macao.

At 10:05 on Thursday, Air China flight CA088 landed smoothly at Macao International Airport. The aircraft slowly taxied through a “water gate”, symbolizing the highest courtesy in the civil aviation industry.

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The country’s flagship carrier was invited to attend the 13th Macao Business Aviation Exhibition. The aircraft will stay in Macao for four days.

The narrow-body airliner, which can seat up to 190 passengers, is a special gift from Air China to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China and the 25th anniversary of Macao’s return to the motherland.

Air China received its first C919 on Aug 29 this year and has successfully operated the Beijing-Shanghai and Beijing-Hangzhou routes. The next step will be to expand to Beijing-Wuhan and other routes.

READ MORE: Chinese aircraft C919 begins high-altitude test flights in Lhasa

As the country’s flagship carrier, Air China will continue to strengthen the C919’s operation support system, lay a solid foundation for large-scale operations, give full play to its own route network advantages, expand the fleet’s carrying capacity, satisfy the popular air travel needs of passengers, and continue to contribute to the development of domestic aircraft.