Changsha becomes fourth city to host Chinese-built C919 jet

China Southern Airlines' Hunan service got its first domestically developed C919 jet on Wednesday.

The aircraft, registered as B-658N, landed smoothly at Changsha Huanghua International Airport, making Changsha, the capital of Hunan province the fourth city in China — after Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou — to host and operate the C919 jet.

According to China Southern Airlines, it is the first C919 dual-base operation between Guangzhou in Guangdong province and Changsha, representing a new milestone in the large-scale commercial use of domestically produced aircraft.

Since its inaugural flight to Hunan in January, the C919 has been used on seven routes operated by China Southern Airlines from Changsha to major cities in China, including Guangzhou, Beijing, Shanghai and Chengdu, the airliner said.

As of Wednesday, the C919 had completed over 1,400 flights for the airliner, carrying more than 170,000 passengers, and had been noted for its comfort and reliability, it added.

China Southern Airlines plans to introduce a second C919 to Hunan before the Spring Festival travel season in February, according to Du Haibo, deputy general manager of the company's Hunan branch.

During the Spring Festival, the C919 will operate three routes connecting Changsha with Guangzhou, Beijing and Shanghai, Du said.