Domestic C919 and ARJ21 aircraft will visit Hong Kong for the first time.

　　Xinhua News Agency, Hong Kong, December 5 (Reporter Meng Jia) According to the Civil Aviation Department of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government, the C919 and ARJ21 aircraft independently developed by the state will visit Hong Kong for the first time on the 12th and stay there until the 17th. This will be the first time that a C919 plane has visited a city outside the mainland.

　　ARJ21 is the first turbofan regional aircraft designed and manufactured independently by China. It was put into commercial operation in 2016 and officially delivered to overseas customers in 2022, and entered the international market. C919 is a large passenger plane designed, manufactured and certified for airworthiness in strict accordance with internationally accepted airworthiness standards. The first commercial C919 was delivered to airlines in December 2022 and put into service in 2023. The successful development of these two passenger airliners is an important milestone in the national aviation manufacturing industry.

　　The event was jointly organized by the Civil Aviation Department of the Hong Kong SAR Government and the Hong Kong Airport Authority. Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China was invited to send C919 and ARJ21 aircraft to visit Hong Kong.

　　Li Jiachao, Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, welcomed the first visit of C919 and ARJ21 aircraft to Hong Kong. He said that this fully reflects the country’s emphasis on the development of Hong Kong’s aviation industry and Hong Kong’s role as an international aviation hub. The 14th Five-Year Plan and the Outline of Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Development Plan clearly support the consolidation of Hong Kong’s position as an international aviation hub.

　　One of these two types of aircraft will arrive at the Hong Kong International Airport on the 12th, and will be statically displayed in a fixed area of the Hong Kong International Airport, and representatives of the aviation industry, youth groups and regional organizations will be arranged to board the plane for a visit.

　　Another highlight of this activity is the flight demonstration on the 16th. If weather conditions permit, the C919 will take off from Hong Kong International Airport, fly over Victoria Harbour and fly around Hong Kong Island twice. At that time, the public can have a glimpse of the domestic large aircraft.

　　On the afternoon of 16th, representatives of Comac China will be invited to meet with teenagers at the headquarters of the Civil Aviation Department to share their knowledge about the two aircraft. Two planes will leave Hong Kong and return to Shanghai on the afternoon of 17th.

　　Liao Zhiyong, Director of the Civil Aviation Department of the Hong Kong SAR Government, said that since 2012, the National Civil Aviation Administration has invited the Civil Aviation Department to participate in the preliminary work of the research and development of the C919 aircraft, and the Civil Aviation Department has been actively participating. Liao Zhiyong was very excited and looking forward to the opportunity to witness the flight of C919 over Hong Kong, and thanked the Civil Aviation Administration of China and Comac China for their full support and cooperation.