China Eastern Airlines made its first commercial flight on Sunday with a C919 from Chinese aircraft manufacturer Comac. The plane took off from Shanghai Airport just after 10:30 a.m. local time, according to pictures taken by state broadcaster CCTV.
On board are more than 130 passengers who are being taken to the Chinese capital, Beijing. The flight is expected to land at its final destination at 1:10pm (7:10am Netherland time). The plane will make a longer trip to the southwestern city of Chengdu and back on Monday.
The C919 is the Chinese version of the Boeing 737 and with it Comac competes with the US aircraft manufacturer and also the European Airbus. State-backed China Eastern Airlines ordered five C919s in March 2021 and received the first aircraft last December. She said she expects to receive the remaining phones this year.
COMAC has been making planes for years, but until now it has been a minor player. To date, the market for aircraft with more than 100 seats has been divided between Airbus and Boeing. European Airbus in particular has been very active in the Chinese market in recent years because Boeing has been affected more by trade tensions between China and the United States and because the American manufacturer had to ground the 737 MAX for so long after two accidents. with this type of aircraft.
Comac has been developing the C919 since 2008 and presented its first prototype of the device in 2015. Although the C919 is made in China, manufacturer Comac relies on Western companies for many parts, such as American General Electric and France’s Honeywell and Safran.
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