BEIJING (AP) — China’s first domestically made passenger jet flew its maiden business flight on Sunday, as China seems to be to compete with trade giants similar to Boeing and Airbus within the international plane market.
The C919 aircraft, constructed by the Industrial Aviation Company of China, carried about 130 passengers on the flight, in response to state-owned newspaper China Each day. The jet took off Sunday morning from Shanghai Hongqiao Airport and landed lower than two hours later in Beijing.
The flight was operated by state-owned China Japanese Airways and the aspect of the aircraft was emblazoned with the phrases: “The World’s First C919.”
The inaugural flight comes as COMAC seems to be to interrupt into the single-aisle jet market in a direct problem to Airbus and Boeing. Airbus’s A320 and Boeing’s B737 jets are the most well-liked aircrafts usually used for home and regional flights.
Whereas COMAC designed most of the C919’s elements, a few of its key parts are nonetheless sourced from the West, together with its engine.
The corporate plans to construct 150 C919 planes annually for the subsequent 5 years, in response to earlier state media studies.
The C919, which had been in growth for 16 years, has a most vary of about 3,500 miles and is designed to hold between 158 and 168 passengers.
Over 1,200 C919 jetliners have been ordered, COMAC says, with China Japanese Airways beneath contract to purchase 5 of them.
