The flight CA1279 of Air China receives a water salute after arriving at the Nanniwan Airport in Yan'an, northwest China's Shaanxi Province, on June 24, 2026. Photo: Xinhua

China's home-grown aircraft made progress in the overseas market over the weekend, as the C919 will fly an international route for the first time next month, and the C909 aircraft has won another overseas order.

A Chinese market observer said that Chinese jets entering overseas markets - even if they start in developing countries - are establishing footholds and viable international routes, laying a solid foundation for winning more overseas market share.

Air China will begin deploying the domestically developed large passenger aircraft C919 on its daily Beijing Capital-Ulan Bator route starting on August 12, marking the first routine international passenger service for the Chinese-built jet.

According to Air China's official app, flight CA723 will depart Beijing International Airport at 3 pm and arrive in Ulan Bator, Mongolia at 5:15 pm local time. The return flight, CA724, will leave Ulan Bator at 6:30 pm local time and arrive in Beijing at 8:35 pm.

The C919 has already accumulated operational experience on regional routes. On New Year's Day 2025, China Eastern Airlines was the first to deploy the C919 on regular flights between Shanghai Hongqiao and Hong Kong. In November 2025, Air China began operating the C919 on regular flights between Beijing and Hong Kong.

On Saturday, Air Cambodia announced that it had signed an agreement to buy 20 C909 aircraft from Commercial Aircraft Corp of China (COMAC), making the Cambodian carrier the first foreign flag carrier to place a bulk order for the Chinese-made jet, according to the official WeChat account of Air Cambodia.

The initial C909 aircraft are scheduled to be delivered to Air Cambodia in batches and enter service in the second half of 2026, Air Cambodia said.

Regarding the overseas map, Wang Ya'nan, editor-in-chief of Beijing-based Aerospace Knowledge magazine, told the Global Times on Sunday that the greatest positive significance is that domestically produced passenger aircraft can gain a foothold in the international market - even if initially in developing countries - and establish viable international routes on a preliminary basis.

"That in itself is a good start," he said.

In his view, starting from developing countries, winning initial user trust to gradually expanding market confidence, and then advancing into global markets like the US and Europe - this process will likely need to be accompanied by the full establishment of an airworthiness certification framework.

"By establishing a solid presence in these markets, we can extend the operational reach of the 909 and 919 to cover a wider geographic area and gather substantial real-world data. Such data is essential for refining aircraft performance, broadening market access, and developing robust after-sales service and technical support frameworks," Wang added. 

China's self-developed large passenger aircraft the C919 has safely transported more than 5 million passenger trips since entering commercial service three years ago, and has reached 23 cities in its flight network, its producer COMAC said on its official WeChat account on May 28.

China's homegrown C909 regional jet has marked 10 years of commercial operation, becoming a mainstay of the country's regional aviation market and expanding its footprint overseas, the Xinhua News Agency reported on July 2.

The C909, formerly known as the ARJ21, made its first commercial flight on June 28, 2016. Since then, the aircraft has carried more than 37 million passenger trips, according to COMAC.

The C909 has also expanded overseas since entering service in Indonesia in April 2023. It now operates in markets including Indonesia, Laos and Vietnam, serving 28 overseas cities, and it has carried more than 1 million passenger trips, Xinhua said.

Wang warned that the greatest uncertainty or barrier we currently face in the international market is the process of establishing market trust, which will inevitably be a gradual one. 

Both Boeing and Airbus have experienced this as well - no company has found this journey easy, as it demands sustained operations, real-world operational data, and the steady accumulation of experience to underpin success, Wang said.