BEIJING, Dec 26 (Reuters) - China Eastern Airlines 600115.SS will launch the first commercial cross-border service operated by C919 between Shanghai and Hong Kong on January 1, state-owned China Central Television (CCTV) said on Thursday.
Currently, the three big state-owned airlines in China all operate the C919, the narrow-body jet domestically developed by the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC), but they only fly within mainland China.
The new service, a daily return flight, comes as China seeks to secure the first international customer for the C919, a jet with the potential to rival the Boeing BA.N 737 MAX and Airbus AIR.PA A320neo.
China Eastern, the first to launch the C919, commands a fleet of nine C919s that service various domestic routes.
The addition of Hong Kong - a special administrative region of China with its own aviation regulatory system - as a destination will expand China Eastern's network to nine cities.
COMAC has been focusing on its international expansion, opening an office in Hong Kong in October, following the establishment of its Asia-Pacific office in Singapore. COMAC has said that the Hong Kong office is a crucial component of its global strategy.
The aircraft manufacturer is seeking to obtain certifications for the C919 from the European Union and has expressed hopes to achieve it by 2025.
(Reporting by Sophie Yu, Anne Marie Roantree; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman)
((Sophie.Yu@thomsonreuters.com; 861056692136;))
免責聲明：投資有風險，本文並非投資建議，以上內容不應被視為任何金融產品的購買或出售要約、建議或邀請，作者或其他用戶的任何相關討論、評論或帖子也不應被視為此類內容。本文僅供一般參考，不考慮您的個人投資目標、財務狀況或需求。TTM對信息的準確性和完整性不承擔任何責任或保證，投資者應自行研究並在投資前尋求專業建議。