China’s technological pursuit for a piece of the pie of the global air transportation market hit a milestone this week. The country’s first locally-made passenger plane completed its first commercial flight. This marks China’s entry into the list of jet makers like Boeing and Airbus. The C919 was built by the Commercial Aviation Corporation of China (COMAC) and 130 passengers boarded the historic flight from Shanghai to Beijing.
The C919 maiden commercial flight started from Shanghai Hongqiao Airport on Sunday, May 28, and safely touched ground in Beijing in less than two hours. The flight was operated by China Eastern Airlines, a state-owned airline. The side of the C919 aircraft had the words emblazoned on its side: The World’s First C919.
The C919 is a single-aisle jet that COMAC hopes could compete with the heavy hitters in the global aviation market like the Airbus A320 and Boeing B737. The design and most of the parts of the C919 were locally sourced. However, the plane still has some important components like the engine imported from the West.
China C919 Jetliner makes its first commercial flight with 130 passengers onboard
COMAC plans to build up to 150 C919 jets per year up to 2027. It had taken up to 16 years for China to reach this milestone. The C919 has a range of 3,500 miles and can carry up to 168 passengers. COMAC has a long list of orders already placed for the C919, up to 1,200 units. China Eastern Airlines is expected to be high on the pecking order and it is expected to take delivery of five units of the C919.
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