Chinese-Made "C919" Completes Its First Commercial Flight

China Eastern Airlines has introduced the domestically-developed narrow-body aircraft "C919" into the civil aviation market today, Sunday, marking a significant milestone in the country's efforts to become more self-reliant. The aircraft is produced by the state-backed Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC), which began its development 15 years ago to compete with the Airbus A320neo and Boeing 737 MAX single-aisle aircraft. Chinese President Xi Jinping praised the project as a victory for Chinese innovation, while state media described the aircraft today as a symbol of industrial skill and national pride. The C919 took off at 10:32 a.m. (02:32 GMT) from Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport, which is the headquarters of COMAC and China Eastern Airlines, and landed two hours later at Beijing Capital Airport, according to flight tracking app Flightradar24. The aircraft is scheduled to return to Shanghai today, and then undertake a longer round trip to Chengdu in the southwest of the country tomorrow, Monday. The plane made its inaugural flight in 2017 after several years of delays and has undergone numerous test flights since then.