Chinese-Made Jet C909 Debuts in Shenzhen for International Flight
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Shenzhen Airport witnessed the first appearance of China's homegrown C909 jet on the evening of October 2, with the aircraft operating its maiden international ...
Shenzhen Airport witnessed the first appearance of China's homegrown C909 jet on the evening of October 2, with the aircraft operating its maiden international flight from Shenzhen to Manado, Indonesia, early on October 3. The route, run by Indonesia's Lion Air (the first overseas user of C909), flies three times a week: departing Manado at 21:10 (Tue/Thu/Sat) and arriving in Shenzhen at 01:00 next day, while leaving Shenzhen at 02:00 (Wed/Fri/Sun) and reaching Manado at 05:40.
This marks the first time a Chinese-made jet has operated an international route from Shenzhen, a key step for the globalization of China's civil aircraft. The C909, a short-to-medium-haul turbofan jet with independent intellectual property rights, has been in commercial service since 2016. It has delivered over 160 units to 10+ airlines (domestic and overseas), operated 700+ routes, and carried over 24 million passengers. Lion Air, which has used C909 for over two years and owns 5 such jets, once set a C909 daily utilization record of 15.88 hours.
On the same day, Shenzhen Airport also launched a Shenzhen-Da Nang (Vietnam) route, bringing its direct Southeast Asian passenger destinations to 22 and strengthening its "4-hour flight circle" advantage in the region. Notably, China's large jet C919 has been operating regular Shenzhen-Shanghai Hongqiao flights since May this year, allowing travelers to take Chinese-made jets on both domestic and international routes from Shenzhen.
