Inaugural passenger flight is a milestone in China’s bid to challenge the Boeing-Airbus duopoly.
China’s first domestically developed narrow-body passenger jet – the C919 – successfully completed its first commercial flight on Sunday, a milestone in the country’s bid to challenge the Boeing-Airbus duopoly in aircraft production. Bearing the symbolic number MU9191, the flight operated by China Eastern Airlines carrying more than 130 passengers left Shanghai Hongqiao Airport at around 10.30am – about 10 minutes ahead of schedule. The flight was welcomed with a water salute as it landed at Beijing Capital Airport at 12.30pm, according to a live feed from state broadcaster CCTV. The two-hour commercial flight comes after 16 years of development, at a time when China is seeking to reduce dependence on foreign technologies amid a bitter rivalry with the US-led West. A 14-year-old student in Beijing told CCTV he was “thrilled” to be taking the return flight to Shanghai at around 2.50pm. “This is the first large aircraft made by China and I know it’s meaningful, because my family is also involved in the aviation industry,” he said.
