(Yicai) June 29 -- Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China has delivered 186 C909 regional jets to more than 10 customers in the decade since the plane made its maiden commercial flight.

The in-service C909 aircraft account for around 70 percent of China's regional jet fleet, COMAC said at a press conference marking the 10th anniversary yesterday. The active C909 planes run on more than 860 routes covering over 180 cities, with an average of 500 flights a day.

Renamed from ARJ21 to C909, the 90-seat jet boasts a maximum range of 3,700 kilometers and has a design service life of 60,000 flight hours, capable of operating at high-plateau, frigid, and other more complex airports. Its first commercial service flight was from Chengdu to Shanghai on June 28, 2016.

The C909 has handled more than 37 million passengers since its commercial debut, COMAC said. Domestic airlines operating the jet include China's three biggest state-owned airlines -- Air China, China Eastern, and China Southern Airlines -- pure regional carriers China Express Airlines and Tianjiao Air, regional-focused Chengdu Airlines and Jiangxi Air, as well as trunk carrier Urumqi Air.

The C909 fleet has become a vital travel option for residents across the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region and Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, which rank first and third respectively among China’s provincial-level administrative regions by land area. For example, Chengdu Airlines' relevant fleet has built a regional flight network centered on Urumqi with sub-hubs in Kashgar, Turpan, and Yining, operating 60 routes covering all 29 civil airports in Xinjiang.

COMAC has also made progress in expanding the C909's overseas footprint. The jet runs on 25 air routes across Southeast Asia, including in Indonesia, Laos, and Vietnam, linking 28 cities and transporting over one million international passengers so far.

In addition, COMAC is receiving more and more overseas orders for the C909. Last September, it signed a deal with Cambodia Angkor Air for 20 aircraft, half of which were under an intent agreement. A month later, the plane maker inked a letter of intent for 35 C909 jets with Brunei Gallop Air after securing airworthiness certification from the local civil aviation authority, with the order covering passenger planes, freighters, medical evacuation aircraft, and business jets.

Editors: Tang Shihua, Martin Kadiev