China’s C919 passenger jet gets first international route

The Chinese-made C919 passenger jet will make its first scheduled international flights in August, reports the South China Morning Post. The move marks a significant milestone for the country’s ambitions to become self-sufficient in aerospace.

The narrowbody aircraft, operated by national carrier Air China, will start flying between Beijing and the Mongolian capital Ulaanbaatar on August 12, according to state news agency Xinhua. There will be one round-trip flight every day.

The C919 has already been making regular commercial flights to and from Hong Kong, its first non-mainland destination.