China Southern Airlines’ C919 Resumes Commercial Flights After First In-depth Maintenance Check

Xinhua News Agency reports a COMAC C919 jet operated by China Southern Airlines completed its maiden commercial flight after passing the first C-level heavy maintenance check on 29 May. The aircraft took off from Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport operating flight CZ3237, marking a key milestone in the airline’s independent high-grade maintenance capability for domestically developed large passenger aircraft.

The C-check represents a comprehensive and rigorous scheduled maintenance procedure for civil aircraft, serving as a full operational assessment of long-term airworthiness and mechanical performance. The entire maintenance campaign lasted 20 consecutive working days, during which the professional maintenance team carried out systematic disassembly, detailed inspection and full performance testing covering fuselage structure, power units, flight control systems and avionic equipment in strict compliance with national and international airworthiness standards.

The maintenance project consumed nearly 6,000 working hours, with a peak workforce of 60 technicians conducting simultaneous on-site operations. The team completed close to 700 standard maintenance work orders and implemented 28 official engineering modification instructions. All operational parameters and technical indicators of the aircraft met certified airworthiness standards after thorough verification, enabling the jet to resume commercial services in optimal operational condition.

China Southern Airlines launched its commercial C919 operations in September 2024. The airline’s C919 fleet has expanded steadily to 10 aircraft. The fleet has operated more than 10,700 commercial flights and transported 1.455 million passengers across domestic routes. The aircraft now maintains regular scheduled services connecting Guangzhou with 22 major cities nationwide, including Nanjing, Ningbo, Wenzhou, Hefei, Wuhan, Beijing Daxing and Xi’an.

The successful completion of the first C-level maintenance check establishes a complete full-lifecycle support system for C919 aircraft operation and maintenance. It consolidates domestic technical experience in high-standard maintenance for homegrown large civil airliners and strengthens the independent service capacity of China’s civil aviation industry. The airline will continue to standardise follow-up maintenance workflows, refine technical specifications and optimise fleet management mechanisms to sustain stable and efficient commercial operation of the C919 fleet across wider domestic air routes.