Boeing and Airbus have a rival: maiden flight of the first production COMAC C919
The first C919 to be delivered for commercial use successfully completed its maiden test flight on Saturday morning, according to its manufacturer, Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC).
The aircraft, registration B-001J, took off at 6:52 (Beijing time) from Shanghai’s Pudong International Airport and landed back at the airport at 9:54, for a total flight time of 182 minutes.
As reported by CGTN, COMAC said that the pilot and engineers performed all required tests during the flight, and the aircraft remained within expected parameters.
The C919 expects to compete in the medium-range, less-than-200-seat single-aisle segment, such as some variants of Airbus’ A320 family and Boeing’s 737 MAX.
It has between 158 and 168 seats, a standard range of 4,075 kilometers and a maximum range of 5,555 kilometers. In March 2021, China Eastern Airlines signed a contract to buy five C919s, the first commercial deal for the aircraft.
Eastern said it plans to fly the aircraft on domestic routes connecting Shanghai to other major cities, such as Beijing, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Chengdu, Xiamen, Wuhan and Qingdao.
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