THE FIRST FLIGHT OF THE COMAC C919

THE CHINESE PLANE A FUTURE COMPETITOR OF AIRBUS AND BOEING

This Sunday, May 28, 2023, the Comac C919, the first aircraft produced by China, made its maiden commercial flight. This flight raises high hopes for the country which wishes to compete with the giants of civil aviation, namely Airbus and Boeing.

This is an event of great importance for China.

After having long depended on the old Russian Tupolevs as well as the French-German and American Airbus and Boeing respectively, the Chinese aeronautical industry now has its own airliner, designed entirely in China: the Comac C919.

The latter therefore made its very first commercial flight this Sunday, May 28, 2023.

Before takeoff, state media showed dozens of passengers gathered at Shanghai airport, all admiring the sleek white aircraft.

Subsequently, these passengers boarded the plane which, after taxiing on the runway, took off.

After a little over half an hour of flight, the plane landed "smoothly" at Beijing International Airport, about 40 minutes early, around 12:30 p.m. local time.

Upon landing, several passengers shared their impressions of the flight, calling it "extremely smooth, comfortable and memorable" to Chinese media.

All passengers received red boarding passes and enjoyed a sumptuous themed meal on board to celebrate the event.

From this Monday, May 29, 2023, the Comac C919 will be deployed in China to operate scheduled flights between Shanghai and Chengdu, a city located in the south of the country, in collaboration with China Eastern Airlines.

China, which aims to become self-sufficient in the technology sector, has invested heavily in the production of this Chinese airliner.