'Made in China' aircraft is about to have its first commercial flight

The C919 is scheduled to make its first commercial flight on May 28, marking a new milestone for China's aircraft manufacturing industry.

On the morning of May 28, China Eastern Airlines will make its first flight using the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (Comac) C919. The plane is scheduled to depart from Shanghai and land in Beijing. This is the busiest domestic flight route in the country.

The flight will mark a new milestone for China in its quest to break the dominance of Boeing and Airbus in the global aircraft manufacturing market. In December 2022, the C919 was delivered to China Eastern Airlines. This was the first C919 to reach a customer. The plane delivered to China Eastern has 164 seats and is painted with the words "The World's First C919" in Chinese and English on its side.

China Eastern Airlines' first C919. Photo: Xinhua — China Eastern Airlines' first C919. Photo: *Xinhua*

After 14 years of development, the Comac C919 was certified by China in late September 2022. The narrow-body aircraft produced by this country has a capacity of 158-169 passengers with a range of more than 5,500 km. The C919 will compete with the Boeing 737 and Airbus 320.

Beijing hopes the C919 will help reduce China’s dependence on foreign technology. However, most of the C919’s components are imported from international manufacturers, including engines, electronics, controls, communications and landing gear.

China has big ambitions for its commercial aircraft market, with the government aiming for the C919 to capture 10% of the domestic market by 2025. Comac says it has received more than 1,200 orders for the plane.

The C919’s maiden commercial flight also comes as China’s aviation market reopens after more than three years of stagnation due to Covid-19. Flight data analytics firm OAG commented that the country’s domestic flight operations are recovering steadily. However, the pace of international flights is sluggish.

Ha Thu (according to SCMP)

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