China Eastern Airlines began operating daily commercial flights between Shanghai and Lanzhou in Gansu province, using China's homegrown C919 jet starting Monday, marking the first time the Shanghai-based carrier has deployed the aircraft on a plateau airport route.

The Shanghai–Lanzhou route now operates one round trip daily between Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport and Lanzhou Zhongchuan International Airport, which sits at an elevation of 1,948.7 meters.

China Eastern said the launch of C919 services to Lanzhou is an important step in expanding its domestic network with domestically produced aircraft. The city will benefit from improved connectivity that supports West China's opening-up and industrial upgrading, while offering passengers the experience of flying on a Chinese-built jet.

The airline added that extending the C919's operational network into northwest China will help build a more complete route system for the aircraft. The accumulated flight data and operational experience will also contribute to the jetliner's continued performance improvement.

Since the C919's maiden commercial flight on May 28, 2023, China Eastern's fleet has operated more than 17,000 commercial flights, completed nearly 43,000 hours of safe operations and carried over 2.45 million passenger trips, with an average load factor above 85 percent.

China Eastern currently operates a fleet of 13 C919 aircraft on 15 commercial routes connecting 13 cities including Shanghai, Beijing, Chongqing, Chengdu in Sichuan province, Xi'an in Shaanxi province, Guangzhou in Guangdong province, Taiyuan in Shanxi province, Wuhan in Hubei province, Shenyang in Liaoning province and Hong Kong SAR.