China Eastern Airlines has officially put the first Comac C919 into revenue service, successfully completing its inaugural flight between Shanghai Hongqiao and Beijing Capital airports. Flight MU9191 departed from Hongqiao airport at 10:33 CST on 28 May, and landed just under who hours later at Beijing Capital, before departing on a scheduled service at 14:54 and returning to Hongqiao. The aircraft is registered as B-919A (MSN 00007) and is configured with eight business and 156 economy class seats. It was delivered to China Eastern on 9 December 2022. China Eastern states that it will also deploy the aircraft on services between Shanghai Hongqiao and Chengdu before launching it on other domestic routes. The entry into revenue service of the C919 is a major milestone for Comac and the wider Chinese aerospace industry. The programme was first announced in 2007, and the type made its maiden flight in 2017, but it was not until 29 September 2022 that it was granted type certification from the Civil Aviation Administration of China. Although the aircraft is manufactured in China, the C919 has a large amount of Western content – either acquired directly or through local joint ventures – including the CFM International Leap-1C engines, landing gear from Liebherr Aerospace, and flight control actuation systems from Parker Aerospace. Aero Engine Corporation of China (AECC) is developing an indigenous powerplant for the C919, the CJ-1000A, which has reportedly been conducting flight testing using a modified Xian Y-20 transport aircraft. Fleets data shows that Comac holds orders for 662 C919s, with options on a further 40 and letters of intent for 658 units from 31 customers – mostly Chinese leasing companies.

Kenya Airways used a blended sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) for a Boeing 787-8 flight from Nairobi's Jomo Kenyatta International airport to Amsterdam Schiphol on 25 May. For the flight JetA1 fuel was mixed with Eni Biojet, produced in the Eni's Livorno refinery from distilled bio-components. The SAF contains 100% biogenic feedstock and is suitable for use with up to 50% JetA1 fuel. "The data and insights generated from the pilot flight will be valuable to inform policy decisions, regulatory frameworks, and industry best practices related to SAF. This will be a significant milestone for Kenya Airways and the broader African aviation industry,” says Kenya Airways chief executive Allan Kilavuka. Eni and Kenya Airways are working on a broader agreement for long-term collaboration, while the petroleum company is developing a supply chain of used cooking oil in Kenya as a feedstock for future biofuels production.

China Eastern Airlines appears set to put its first Comac C919 into revenue service on 28 May. The airline's booking app show that the aircraft has been scheduled to operate flight MU919, which departs from Shanghai Hongqiao International airport at 10:45 CST, and lands at Beijing Capital International airport at 13:10. China Eastern took delivery of the first C919, registered B-919A (MSN 00007) at Shanghai Pudong airport in December, and flight tracking data shows that since then it has made a number of flights within China, likely on training and familiarisation missions. The C919 is configured with eight business and 156 economy seats, fleets data shows, and is the first of 10 of the type that China Eastern has ordered. Comac has a further 662 C919s on order and a further 658 under letters of intent from 31 operators and leasing companies. CCB Financial Leasing is the largest client to date, with 100 C919s on order, while Hainan Airlines is the largest airline customer, with 80 aircraft on order.