The Chinese-made C919 aircraft successfully completed its first commercial flight between the cities of Shanghai (east) and the capital, Beijing, on a route operated by the China Eastern company on Sunday.
The flight, designated MU9191, took off from Shanghai Hongqiao Airport at 10:32 am local time (02:32 am GMT) and landed at Beijing Capital International Airport Terminal 2 after a two-hour journey at 12: 31 p.m. am GMT), almost 40 minutes before the previously announced time.
According to Chinese aviation authorities, the aircraft, developed by the Commercial Aviation Corporation of China (COMAC), was certified by the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) after more than 14 years of development.
On its first commercial flight, the C919, carried out this Sunday, carried 128 passengers.
“This flight marks a coming-of-age ceremony for the new aircraft and the C919 will improve if it passes the market test,” Zhang Xiaoguang, director of COMAC’s marketing and sales department, told China’s state news agency Xinhua.
With capacity for 164 passengers, the C919 aims to compete with the Airbus A320 Neo and Boeing 737 MAX models.
China Eastern, which has signed a purchase agreement for five C919s, intends to operate flights with these aircraft mainly in the Shanghai metropolis.
According to Zhang Xiaoguang, the airline plans to gradually introduce the C919 to its fleet over the next two years, with the possibility of expansion depending on the performance and demand of its routes.
The launch of the C919 reflects China’s ambition to strengthen its position in the commercial aviation market, with the Chinese government aiming to achieve a 10% domestic market share with this model by 2025.
The airline conducted training programs for its staff and test flights to ensure the safety and operation of the C919.
The airline took delivery of its first C919 aircraft in late 2022 and subsequently began a series of test flights, totaling 100 hours.
COMAC has received more than 1,200 orders for the C919 and aims to reach an annual production capacity of 150 aircraft in the next five years, the sources say.
The C919 represents China’s effort to reduce its dependence on Western manufacturers in terms of aircraft technology.
Although it uses some Western components, the long-term goal is to develop an all-Chinese component chain.
Source: TSF
