A great success first. The first Chinese-designed airliner, the C919, made its maiden commercial flight on Sunday, a turning point for China's air transport industry. Beijing hopes the aircraft can compete with popular foreign aircraft such as the Boeing 737 MAX and Airbus A320. "In the future, most passengers will be able to choose to travel on large domestically designed aircraft," state broadcaster CCTV reported.
China Eastern Airlines flight MU9191 took off from Shanghai's Hongqiao Airport on Sunday morning, according to footage from the channel, which said 130 passengers were on board. It landed "smoothly" at Beijing Capital International Airport about 40 minutes early around 12:30 p.m. local time (6:30 a.m. in France), according to CCTV. The flight "was extremely smooth, comfortable and memorable. I think I will remember it for a long time," a passenger told the Chinese channel.
"Themed meals" for passengers
Before takeoff, state media showed dozens of passengers gathered at Shanghai airport to admire the white aircraft with clean lines. All passengers received red boarding passes and enjoyed a glitzy "themed meal" on board to celebrate the event, CCTV said.
China's #C919 aircraft completes inaugural commercial flight #CGTNOnSite pic.twitter.com/TARUbjenmA
— CGTN (@CGTNOfficial) May 28, 2023
China, which is seeking to become self-sufficient in the technology sector, has invested heavily in the production of this first Chinese-designed airliner. The aircraft is built by the state-owned Comac, but many parts of the craft come from other countries.
The C919 will be mobilized from Monday for China Eastern Airlines' regular routes from Shanghai to the south city of Chengdu, CCTV reported. The first model of this aircraft that can carry 164 passengers was officially delivered to the Chinese airline in December 2022.
Airbus and Boeing want their share of the market
Zhang Yujin, deputy general manager of Comac, told the government-backed The Paper in January that the company had booked more than 1,200 orders for its device. The state-owned automaker planned to increase its annual production capacity to 150 models within five years, Zhang Yujin said at the time.
VIDEO. The Comac C919, the Chinese medium-haul aircraft that competes with Airbus and Boeing presented to the public
Asia, and China in particular, are priority targets for Europe's Airbus and US-based Boeing, which are seeking to capitalize on growing demand for flights from a sizeable middle class. In April, Airbus announced it would double its production capacity in China and signed an agreement to build a second assembly line in Tianjin (northeast) for the A320. Tianjin's first assembly site opened in 2008 and produces four A320s per month. A rate that Airbus hopes to increase to six per month by the end of 2023.
