Five months after receiving delivery of the first Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China’s (COMAC) narrow-body airliner the C919; China Eastern Airlines operates the first flight.
The maiden flight MU9191 was operated from Shanghai Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport to Beijing Capital Airport carrying more than 130 passengers.
The C919 received its type certification from the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) last October. Launch customer China Eastern Airlines is expecting 4 more C919 deliveries over the next few months and COMAC plans to produce up to 25 C919s per year by 2030.
The project was originally started in 2008 with a target to operate the maiden flight in 2014 however facing multiple delays the first maiden flight took place much later in 2017. The C919 is seen as a major step forward for China's aviation industry, which has historically relied on foreign-made aircraft.
This C919 can carry up to 168 passengers and has a range of around 5,555 kilometers and is a direct competitor to the widely popular narrow-body Boeing 737s and the Airbus A320s.