The first Chinese-made passenger plane completes its maiden commercial flight.
China Eastern Airlines introduced the China-developed C919 narrow-body aircraft into the civil aviation market on Sunday, and the aircraft completed its first commercial flights, a milestone in the country’s efforts to become more self-reliant.
The C919 plane, built by the Commercial Aviation Corporation of China, has a crew of about 130 passengers. According to the state-owned newspaper China Daily, the flight was operated by state-owned China Eastern Airlines, and “The World’s First C919” was written on the sides of the plane.
The state-backed Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC) produces this aircraft. It began developing it 15 years ago to compete with the single-aisle Airbus A320neo and Boeing 737 Max.
Chinese President Xi Jinping praised the project as a victory for Chinese innovation, while state media on Sunday described the plane as a symbol of industrial skill and national pride.
The C919 plane took off at 1032 am (02:32 GMT) from Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport, where COMAC and China Eastern Airlines are based. It landed two hours later at Beijing Capital Airport, according to the VariFlight flight tracking application.
Annual production will reach 150 aircraft:
After years of postponement, the plane conducted its first flight in 2017 and has undergone several test flights since then. COMAC expects annual production to reach 150 C919 aircraft within five years, local media reported in January.
Although this aircraft is assembled in China, it relies heavily on Western components. Footage broadcast by the official CCTV channel showed the Chinese Eastern Airlines flight MU9191 taking off from Hongqiao Airport in Shanghai at approximately 10:30 am (02:30 GMT).
The channel said that the plane’s destination, which carried more than 130 passengers, was Beijing International Airport.
Achieving self-sufficiency:
Footage broadcast by state media showed dozens of passengers gathering at Shanghai Airport, preparing to board the narrow-body white plane.
China has invested heavily to produce this aircraft locally as part of its quest to achieve self-sufficiency in critical technologies.
Airbus and Boeing competition:
Beijing hopes the C919 will compete with popular Western models such as the Boeing 737 MAX and Airbus A320. The plane is manufactured by the state-owned Commercial Aviation Corporation of China, COMAC, but many of its components come from outside the country.
Starting Monday, the C919 will fly between Shanghai and the southwestern city of Chengdu, CCTV reported. The first narrow-body aircraft, the TC 919, which can accommodate 164 passengers, was officially delivered to Eastern Airlines in December. In January, Zhang Yujin, deputy general manager of COMAC, told the Chinese newspaper. The company has received over 1,200 orders to purchase the C919.
Zhang said COMAC planned to increase its annual production capacity to 150 aircraft within five years. The countries of Asia and China, in particular, are significant targets for European companies Airbus and its American competitor Boeing, which are looking to benefit from the growing demand for air travel from the Chinese middle class.
