China's homegrown airliner makes its first international flight
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After only being authorized within China's airspace, the C919 makes its first international flight at the Singapore Airshow.
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A China's COMAC C919 aircraft flies during the first day of the Singapore Airshow in Singapore, Tuesday, February 20, 2024. (AP)
China's domestically produced national jet, the C919, made its first international flight at the Singapore Airshow on Sunday. The C919 had only been authorized to fly since May and within China's aerial borders, until now.
The jet is manufactured by the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC) and could rapidly transcend as a main competitor against other commercial jets such as Boeing and Airbus. Following the Singaporean Airshow, COMAC revealed that it struck a deal with Tibet Airlines to deploy 40 jets that carry up to 192 passengers each and travel up to 5,644km at local airports for use.
Commenting on the product, competitor Airbus's CEO Christian Scherer said the C919 is not an innovation and does not differ in abstract concept from the Airbus commercial jet.
It is “not going to rock the boat in particular,” he said, although he did commend it as a respectable effort that paves the way for competition, especially since the Chinese market is extensive enough to allow commercial rivalry.
Northcoast Research analyst Chris Olin, on the other hand, said COMAC is getting ahead of the game because of Boeing's deterioration, specifically, the 737 Max, which has the company focused on internal maintenance and enhancements following a blowout incident that destroyed one of its sections mid-flight.
Chinese passenger jet #C919 made a rehearsal flight Sunday in Singapore to prepare for the upcoming airshow. #modernization pic.twitter.com/j8ttAmFRJw
— China Daily (@ChinaDaily) February 20, 2024
More about the C919
The C919 program was launched 16 years ago, but completion and authorization had extended over time due to technical issues that mainly existed because of US export controls. For example, the assembly of the Chinese jet relied on US-manufactured engines, and the US had been imposing flight controls.
However, production began in 2011 and by 2015, the first prototype was completed. In 2022, the C919 was certified by the Civil Aviation Administration of China, and earlier last year, China Eastern Airlines authorized the jet's commercial services.
The C919 was set to operate on China Eastern's regular route between Shanghai and the southwestern city of Chengdu starting Monday, CCTV previously reported.
Last year, the first model of the narrow-body plane, which seats 164 passengers, was formally handed over to China Eastern during a ceremony at a Shanghai airport, which state media hailed as "an important milestone" for the country's aircraft sector.
Zhang Yujin, COMAC's deputy general manager, told state-backed Shanghai outlet The Paper in January that the company had taken around 1,200 orders for the C919.
Zhang stated at the time that COMAC intended to boost yearly production capacity to 150 models within five years.
