China's International Flight Routes Reach 177 Cities Across 80 Countries

Chinese airlines now operate regular international passenger routes connecting 177 cities in 80 countries across five continents, according to Han Jun, Deputy Head of the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC). Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday, he added that Chinese carriers currently operate more than 1,000 regular international routes overall. During the first half of this year, the number of passenger trips on international routes exceeded 40 million, marking a 5.7 per cent increase compared to the same period last year. In a related development, the C919, China’s domestically produced large passenger aircraft, is preparing for its international debut. Air China recently announced that the C919 will officially begin serving the Beijing-Ulaanbaatar route on 12 August.