China Eastern flies first C919: Chinese plane challenging Airbus and Boeing
The first commercial flight of the Comac C919 aircraft operated by China Eastern took off for the first time on Sunday, May 28. [...]
China
The first commercial flight of the aircraft took off for the first time on Sunday, May 28. Comac C919 operated by China Eastern. The route operated-with code MU9191-connected Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport (SHA) with the airport of Beijing Capital (PEK) where he was welcomed with the classic "Water Salute."
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The Water Salute for the C919 landed in Beijing.
The flight carried 128 passengers and took just under three hours. Since the beginning of its production, the C919 has aroused much curiosity as an all-Chinese attempt to break the U.S.-European duopoly Boeing-Airbus with a short- to medium-haul model that can compete with the 737Max and A320.
The service on board the first China Eastern flight operated with the C91
The history of C919
The first official test flight of the C919 is dated May 5, 2017; while production of the aircraft began in 2009.
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It is a twin-engine narrow-body aircraft made by the Chinese company Comac (Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China): it is 38.90 meters long, has a wingspan of 35.80 meters and an autonomy of about 5550 kilometers (about 3 thousand miles).
Comac provides five production variants: the basic one from 168 passengers with one class of service, the set-up with two classes for 156 passengers, a cargo version, a business jet version and a military version.
The first orders all Chinese
At present, the Chinese manufacturer has collected orders for 703 aircraft (583 plus 120 options) almost all of which are destined for domestic buyers (Air China, China Eastern, China Southern, Sichuan Airlines, Hainan Airlines).
Among the orders, however, leasing companies stand out. Gecas (USA) and Boc (Singapore). In January 2023, however, the general manager of Comac, Zhang Yujin, announced that it has orders for more than 1,200 aircraft, without going into detail. x
March 2021, China Eastern Airlines - which operated its first flight last Sunday - officially ordered ten C919 aircraft from Comac with delivery taking place in December 2022. Four more planes will be delivered by the end of this year.
Challenge to Boeing and Airbus?
The C919 was supposed to make its debut in 2019, but the finalization of the aircraft faced several rdelays in commercial entry into service due to technical and supply problems, also related to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The aircraft then did not receive the necessary approvals to make commercial flights until late 2022. Although the C919 is labeled as a Chinese-made aircraft, some components (the motor and various sensors and electronic equipment) are produced in the West.
Despite previous estimates of 25 aircraft to be produced per year by 2030, Comac said recently that it plans to reach the 150 jets to be delivered Every year starting in 2028.
Although the C919 is intended to be successful in the chinese domestic market, it is likely that within a few years the aircraft could really become a competitor to Airbus' A320s and Boeing's 737Max, especially in Asian and African markets. According to some press rumors, in fact, Nigeria Air Would be willing to order some C919s.
Much will therefore depend on China's economic and political influence in developing markets; on the price at which it will be sold the C919, from the production capacity that Comac will have to support.
Last but not least: the success of the C919 will also be decreed by the willingness or unwillingness of the aviation authorities (Easa and Faa in Europe and the U.S., for example) to certify and clear the aircraft for commercial flights.
