Air China flight CA088 smoothly landed at Macau International Airport at 10:05 am on November 7, 2024. Photo: Courtesy of Air China

Air China's domestically produced C919 aircraft, adorned with the national flag, has made its debut in Macao Special Administrative Region.

Air China flight CA088 smoothly landed at Macau International Airport at 10:05 am on Thursday. 

The B-919Y aircraft, adorned with the Chinese national flag, passed through the traditional "water gate" salute.

Officials and representatives from the Macao government, China's State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission, the Civil Aviation Authority of Macau and Macau International Airport Co, welcomed the aircraft and presented flowers to the crew. Leaders from China National Aviation Corp and Air China were on board, witnessing this historic moment.

Air China sent its C919 aircraft, adorned with the national flag, to participate in the 13th Macau Business Aviation Exhibition at the organizers' invitation. The aircraft will remain in Macao for four days, offering the public a close-up view of this domestically produced jet.

This appearance serves as a special tribute from Air China, celebrating the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China and the 25th anniversary of Macao's return to the motherland.

On August 29, Air China received its first C919, which is now operating on the Beijing-Shanghai and Beijing-Hangzhou, East China's Zhejiang Province routes, with plans to expand to additional routes such as Beijing-Wuhan, Central China's Hubei Province, according to Hao Xin, a deputy captain of Air China's C919 flight team. 

As China's flag carrier, Air China is committed to its responsibilities, continuously strengthening operational support for the C919, expanding its route network to boost fleet capacity and meeting the growing demand for affordable air travel - all while advancing the development of this domestically produced aircraft, Hao said.