'First flight' on China's passenger plane

China's domestically produced C919 passenger aircraft has made its first commercial flight. China has entered a new phase in its important move in aviation. China's domestically produced narrow-body C919 passenger aircraft has completed its first commercial flight. According to the news of Chinese state television CCTV, the flight performed by the Chinese airline company China Eastern Airlines was made between Shanghai and Beijing. The first delivery of China's domestically produced passenger aircraft C919 was made to China Eastern Airlines. Designed as an equivalent to the Boeing 737 and Airbus 320, the aircraft was developed by the state-owned Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC). The single-aisle, narrow-body aircraft can carry 156 to 168 passengers. The model made its first test flight in May 2022; it received its type license, which certifies its suitability for flight, in September 2022, and its production license in November 2022. China Eastern had reached an agreement with COMAC to purchase the aircraft for $99 million each in an agreement signed in March 2021. The company plans to use the aircraft on domestic flights from Shanghai to Beijing, Guangzhou, Xinjiang and Chengdu. Although the C919, which began development by COMAC in 2008, aims to reduce the country’s external dependency, it is not entirely domestic, as critical components such as the jet engine and control software are produced by US companies such as General Electric and Honeywell.