BEIJING — China's first domestically produced passenger jet made its maiden commercial flight on Sunday (May 29), a milestone event in the nation's decades-long effort to compete with Western rivals in the air.
Beijing hopes the C919 commercial jetliner will challenge foreign models like the Boeing 737 MAX and the Airbus A320, though many of its parts are sourced from abroad.
China Eastern Airlines flight MU9191 from Shanghai"arrived smoothly" in Beijing just after 12.30pm Singapore time, around 40 minutes ahead of schedule, according to CCTV. The broadcaster had aired footage of the plane rising into the skies above Shanghai Hongqiao Airport on Sunday morning, saying it had 130 passengers on board.
Other footage showed passengers waving national flags and singing a patriotic song while a cake was being cut during the flight. Mr Zhang Xiaoguang, COMAC's director of marketing and sales, told state news agency Xinhua the flight was a"coming-of-age ceremony the new aircraft", adding the C919"will get better if it stands the test of the market".From Monday, the C919 will operate on China Eastern's regular route between Shanghai and the southwestern city of Chengdu, CCTV reported.
COMAC planned to increase annual production capacity to 150 models within five years, Zhang said at the time.
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