Newcastle disease virus (NDV) is a member of the genus Avulavirus in the Paramyxoviridae family and its antitumor properties depend on its ability to kill malignant cells while not affecting normal cells. The present study investigated a recombinant avirulent NDV LaSota strain (wild-type NDV strain) expressing the rabies virus glycoprotein (rL-RVG), examined its oncolytic effect on the lung adenocarcinoma A549 cell line and evaluated its potential to serve as a vaccine against lung cancer. A549 cells were infected with the rL-RVG virus and analyzed by MTT, western blot, polymerase chain reaction (PCR), immunofluorescence, terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling and flow-cytometric analyses. PCR, western blot and immunofluorescence showed that the RVG gene and protein were stably expressed in A549 cells following infection with rL-RVG. The growth of A549 cells in the rL-RVG group was inhibited more effectively compared to those infected with the wild-type NDV strain. MTT results showed that cell growth inhibition rates in the rL-RVG group were significantly higher than those in the NDV group (P<0.05). Early apoptosis in the rL-RVG group was also more evident, with the apoptotic index being increased in rL-RVG group. The expression of the pro-apoptotic proteins caspase-3, -8 and -9 increased. The expression of caspase-3 decreased following application of the broad-specificity caspase inhibitor Z-VAD-FMK. However, the expression of the inhibitory apoptosis protein B-cell lymphoma 2 (bcl-2) did not change, but bcl-2-associated X/bcl-2 ratio was higher in the rL-RVG group than that in the NDV group. The rL-RVG strain was able to suppress lung cancer cell growth and promote lung cancer cell apoptosis to a greater extent than the wild-type NDV strain. Therefore, the rL-RVG strain is a potent antitumor agent.