China’s inaugural domestically-produced passenger aircraft has achieved a significant milestone by successfully completing its maiden commercial flight.
State television showcased the C919 jet soaring into the skies above Shanghai, embarking on its journey to Beijing in the early hours of Sunday.
Manufactured by the Commercial Aviation Corporation of China (Comac), the C919 aims to challenge the market dominance of Airbus and Boeing in the realm of single-aisle aircraft.
However, despite its achievement, the 164-seat aircraft still heavily relies on Western components, including engines and avionics.
The Shanghai-Beijing leg of the flight, carrying over 130 passengers, was accomplished in just under three hours.
“I’m really confident in our country,” said passenger Liu Peng. He told Reuters news agency C919 “will definitely get better and better”.
“I’m feeling very emotional,” said 21-year-old student and flight enthusiast LV Boyuan. He spoke to Reuters at Shanghai airport before he boarded a normal flight to Chengdu, from where he planned to take a return C919 flight the day after.
State-backed China Eastern Airline has ordered five of the planes.
Comac – which plans to produce 150 planes annually in five years’ time – says it has already secured more than 1,200 orders for the C919.
Some experts, however, say that most of these orders are believed to be letters of intent from domestic customers.
President Xi Jinping, who sat in the cockpit of a mock-up C919 a few years ago, has described the project as one of China’s most innovative achievements.
The C919 made its first test flight in 2017 and has undergone several similar flights since.