China’s first domestically developed passenger plane the C919 successfully made its maiden flight on May 14 at Pudong International Airport in Shanghai.
According to the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC), who designed the C919, the flight lasted more than three hours and focused on testing the plane’s functions, manufacturing quality and safety.
Chinese aviation expert Wang Yanan told China National Radio that the C919, a large single-aisle passenger aircraft, was developed based on international airworthiness standards and is of similar quality and function as the workhorse Airbus A320. It boasts an array of creative highlights in aerodynamic configuration and avionics.
The C919 sells at US$99 million, much lower than the price of an A320neo or Boeing’s B737MAX8. Chinese media said the plane has received around 850 orders from 28 buyers at home and abroad.
COMAC’ projects that demand for narrow-body jetliners like the C919 in China will reach around 300 a year on average in the next two decades.
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