There is a rumor on Chinese social media that the homegrown C919 Passenger Jetliner has failed its verification test. The aircraft scheduled to fly from Shanghai to Hefei via Beijing on February 1, faced a mid-flight technical issue and returned back to Shanghai. 

As per the reports, there was some complication with the left-handed thrust lever, due to which the pilot was forced to turn back the flight mid-air. This flight was part of the 100-hour verification process required for the aircraft to be certified to fly passengers. 

The incident has put a dent in China’s aviation dreams as the C919 was supposed to put China on the global aviation map. 

C919 Jetliner is China’s first indigenous passenger aircraft, scheduled to fly commercially this spring. Manufactured by COMAC (Commercial Aircraft Corp of China), the Jetliner holds a very important position in China’s geopolitical and economic policies. 

China is the largest aviation market in the world with the number of domestic air passengers increasing every year. It ranks second in air passenger traffic right behind the US and is expected to outgrow America by 2040. To leverage the economic advantage of this huge market, Beijing is trying to create an independent aircraft that can take on industry giants like Boeing and Airbus. 

China established the COMAC in 2008 in Shanghai to fulfill its civil aviation goals. COMAC is a state-owned design and manufacturing company that makes large and mid-sized passenger aircraft for the country. 

The C919 jetliner is the first independent passenger aircraft designed and developed by COMAC that fits the international standards of airworthiness. The airworthiness standards are special technical and safety standards established to ensure civil aircraft’s airworthiness.

C919 is a  twin-engine, single-aisle short to medium-range passenger aircraft that features a standard range of 4075 km and a maximum range of 5555 km. The aircraft comes with a price tag of $99 million, which is cheaper than the $122 million Airbus A320 and $111 million Boeing 737 Max.  The C919 had its first successful maiden flight in 2017 and is now conducting the final certification procedures. 

Despite the failed flight on February 1, the aircraft took another successful flight to Urumqi International airport on February 4. This was the jetliner’s first long-range demonstration flight, taken to evaluate cabin comfort. The aircraft is officially sold to China Eastern Airlines and will make its maiden passenger flight sometime in the spring of this year 

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