China Eastern Airlines Commences C919 Flights Between Guangzhou and Qingdao

China Eastern Airlines began operating a new regular route between Guangzhou and Qingdao on Thursday, utilizing the domestically manufactured C919 aircraft. Flight CZ3573 departed from Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport at 16:57 local time with 120 passengers, bound for Qingdao Jiaodong International Airport.

This service represents the first time the C919 has been deployed on the Guangzhou-Qingdao route and its inaugural scheduled commercial flight into Qingdao Airport. The return flight, CZ3574, was scheduled to depart Qingdao at 20:50 the same day.

The airline plans to operate one round-trip flight daily on this route with the C919 starting October 1. This route is China Eastern's 19th C919 route originating from Guangzhou and its first to Shandong Province.

The C919, developed by COMAC, is a narrow-body airliner with a seating capacity ranging from 158 to 192 passengers. China Eastern's fleet currently consists of 13 C919 aircraft, which have collectively completed nearly 16,000 flights and transported approximately 2.2 million passengers. The airline is progressively expanding the C919's operational network from major hubs like Guangzhou to various destinations, including Beijing, Shanghai, and Wuhan.