China's domestically developed C919 passenger aircraft flies over Victoria Harbour on December 16, 2023. Photo:VCG

China's domestically developed C919 passenger aircraft flew over Victoria Harbour on Saturday, marking the first time for a domestic commercial aircraft to fly over Hong Kong, attracting applauses from locals and visitors.

After taking off from the airport at around 10:26 on Saturday morning, the C919 passenger aircraft reached the Victoria Harbor about 20 minutes later. It flew from west to east over Victoria Harbour and circled Hong Kong Island twice, according to Now News.

"A historic moment of C919 Aircraft soaring over Victoria Harbour!" Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu posted on social media, rooting for the domestically developed C919.

He said it was "truly exciting" to capture the moment of C919 soaring over Victoria Harbour and called on the public to sign up for the "C919 Aircraft Hong Kong Flight Demonstration" photography competition.

Many Hong Kong residents and visitors expressed their excitement and pride after glimpsing a sight of the domestically developed C919 passenger aircraft soaring over the skyline of the city.

Junius Ho Kwan-yiu, a Hong Kong Legislative Council member and a solicitor, hailed the C919 as a new milestone in the history of civil aviation development in China on Friday after recently being given a tour of the C919 in Hong Kong. "The C919 body is spacious, the design is simple, very comfortable," Ho posted.

The plane received a ceremonial water salute from Hong Kong International Airport when it, together with an ARJ21, a domestically developed Chinese passenger jetliner, arrived in the city on December 12.

Earlier, media reported that the planes were warmly welcomed by Hong Kong residents and overseas visitors, many of whom came to the flyover opposite the city's Civil Aviation Department headquarters to take photos of the planes, hk01.com reported.

The planes' visit is part of an exhibition for the civil technology innovation achievements of the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC), Commercial Aircraft Corp of China (COMAC) and local partners in Hong Kong.

The commercial operation of the domestically produced large jetliner is steadily progressing toward true operational scale. As of December 12, since the commencement of C919 commercial operations in May, it has operated approximately 580 flights, catering to a cumulative passenger count of nearly 72,000 individuals, with a total flight duration of approximately 1,460 hours, according to flight data platform Umetrip.

The C919 plane was put into regular service by China Eastern Airlines in May. The airline has received three C919s within a year, stating that the C919 has exceeded expectations in terms of reliability, stability and operational costs, according to media reports.

On September 28, China Eastern Airlines once again signed a purchase agreement with COMAC. Building upon an initial order for five C919 aircraft in 2021, they have further expanded their commitment by ordering an additional 100 C919 large passenger aircraft.

Also in September, Brunei-based airlines GallopAir signed a deal to buy 30 aircraft from the COMAC, which includes the first overseas order of China's domestically developed C919 jetliner.

The number of orders for the C919 jetliner now approaches 1,200 units. It is anticipated that its annual production capacity will reach 150 aircraft within the next five years, COMAC revealed in January.

Over the next 20 years, the Chinese aviation market is expected to take receipt of 9,084 aircraft with seating capacity above 50 passengers, amounting to an estimated market size of around $1.4 trillion, according to a report released by COMAC.

With the commercialization of the C919, the trillion-dollar-level large aircraft industry chain is poised for significant growth, COMAC said.