The C919 carries “the will of the state, the dream of the Chinese nation and the expectations of the Chinese people.”
BEIJING — China’s first large “homegrown” airliner made its maiden flight Friday in a major challenge to Western dominance of the skies.
The C919 jet was built at a reported development cost of $8.6 billion.
It has passed a series of technical and safety tests since rolling off the production line in 2015.
After the 90-minute journey was over, the test pilots left the aircraft smiling, wearing orange overalls with the Chinese flag.
The official Xinhua News Agency said the flight meant China had become “one of the world’s top makers of jumbo aircraft, ” becoming the fourth large jet producer after the U. S., Europe and Russia.
The C919 carries “the will of the state, the dream of the Chinese nation and the expectations of the Chinese people, ” said Jin Zhuanglong, chairman of the state-run Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC) . He added the project is in line with the spirit of “aeronautical patriotism.”
The 168-seat jet has a flying range of 3,000 miles — which is the market segment dominated by the popular Boeing 737 and Airbus A320. It has been in development for seven years.
“China wanted to build a homegrown airliner so it would no longer relinquish its lucrative large commercial airplane market to foreign companies, ” said Derek Levine, author of “The Dragon Takes Flight, ” a book which traces China’s effort in building the C919.
However, Levine said the project “has more to do with nationalism than commercial intent, ” estimating that only 30 percent of the plane is Chinese-made, with most key components from engines to avionics coming from U. S. companies.
Although China has lagged behind its Western rivals in aircraft development, it boasts the world’s fastest-growing aviation market, which will eventually overtake the United States.
