China’s first domestically produced passenger jet enters service

China’s C919 takes maiden commercial flight.

 

China’s homegrown C919 narrow-body passenger jet has taken off from Shanghai on its maiden commercial flight, in a small but symbolic challenge to the decades-old duopoly of Boeing and Airbus.

 

China Eastern Airlines flight MU9191 “arrived smoothly” in Beijing just after 12:30 pm on Sunday, around 40 minutes ahead of schedule, according to CCTV.

 

“(The flight) was extremely smooth, comfortable and memorable. I think I’ll remember this fondly for some time to come,” a passenger told local news stations.

 

Beijing hopes the C919 commercial jetliner will challenge foreign models like the 737 MAX and the A320.

 

The plane is built by the Commercial Aviation Corporation of China (COMAC), however, the 164-seater still relies heavily on Western components, including engines and avionics.

 

From Monday, the C919 will operate on China Eastern’s regular route between Shanghai and the south-western city of Chengdu.

 

Zhang Yujin, COMAC’s deputy general manager, told state-backed Shanghai outlet The Paper in January that the company had taken about 1,200 orders for the new aircraft.

 

Some experts, however, say that most of these orders are believed to be only letters of intent, rather than actual orders.

 

Aviation companies are looking to capitalise on growing demand for air travel from the country’s vast middle class.

 

Last month, Airbus said it would double its production capacity in China, signing a deal to build a second final assembly line for the A320 in Tianjin.

 

The first assembly site in the northern city opened in 2008 and produces four A320s a month, with Airbus hoping to increase that to six a month before the end of the year.