(Yicai) May 29 -- The project to develop the C919, China’s first homegrown large passenger jet, is moving from the production stage into its next phase, that of commercial operation, according to the chairman of China Eastern Airlines.

As the global launch customer for the narrow-body aircraft, China Eastern has developed a comprehensive operational process for the plane over the 12 months since it first flew commercially, Wang Zhiqing said in a recent interview with Yicai.

The Shanghai-based carrier added a sixth C919 to its fleet yesterday, exactly a year after the plane’s first commercial flight, when MU9191 took off from Shanghai bound for Beijing on May 28, 2023. After taking an initial five C919s, China Eastern placed an order for 100 more last September.

The C919 has been a commercial success, he said, adding that the airline hopes to make a positive and significant contribution to establishing the brand.

“Since the C919 was put into commercial operation, the flight crews have received over 1,000 letters from passengers lauding their flight experience,” Wang noted. That is “great praise for our efforts.”

According to Wang, the operation of China Eastern's C919 fleet has had two distinct phases. The first, lasting 10 months, was the initial operational stage. It then moved into the second, a normalized operational stage, this April.

The airline’s C919s mainly fly three routes -- Shanghai to Beijing, Shanghai to Chengdu, and Shanghai to Xi’an -- and had carried almost 300,000 passengers on 2,181 flights between these cities as of May 27, clocking up 6,090 flying hours. Its C919 fleet will likely grow to 10 by the end of this year, with flights to other major cities such as Guangzhou and Shenzhen set to follow.

China Eastern has completed the C919 Safe Operation Management Manual, set up the C919 Innovation Studio Alliance, and developed a systematic C919 flight attendant training program, Wang pointed out.

More than 60 pilots at China Eastern have obtained C919 flight qualifications, with nearly 170 flight attendants, Wang said. Ground service support training has been completed for 14,000 crew, he added.

Primary operational data shows that passenger kilometer revenue for C919 flights is higher than other aircraft of the same class, while the daily utilization rate is continuously improving, Wang noted.

But the C919 is still in the early market cultivation stage and there is considerable room for improvement in enhancing aircraft performance, reducing operating costs, and strengthening support systems and capacity building, according to Wang.

China Eastern is working with Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China, the C919’s maker, on recommendations for continuously optimizing the aircraft configuration based on commercial service experience, Wang added.

The average passenger load of the C919 aircraft was close to 80 percent in the past year, more than other models flying the same routes, demonstrating that the aircraft is a commercial success, Wang pointed out.

China Eastern's C919 aircraft will be primarily deployed in the airline's hub market and important business and major tourist routes, Wang pointed out. The plane will become the firm's main and the domestic civil aviation industry's core model, he noted, adding that it will also fly beyond the country's borders.

Editors: Tang Shihua, Martin Kadiev