China Eastern Airlines will take the delivery of its first C919, China's first domestically-developed narrow-body jetliner, in December, said the carrier on Monday.

The airline will ensure safe and smooth commercial operation of the aircraft, hoping to create brand and economic efficiency, said Li Yangmin, general manager of China Eastern.

China Eastern Airlines and Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC) signed a purchase contract for five planes in March 2021, marking the official entry into market operation for China's indigenously-developed C919 large passenger aircraft.

The planewas granted a certificate of airworthiness by the country's aviation regulator, the Civil Aviation Administration of China, in late September.

The new planes will be used on routes from Shanghai to Beijing, Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Chengdu, according to the airline company.