On December 9, China Eastern received in Shanghai its third COMAC C919. The aircraft with registration B-919D departed from Shanghai Pudong International Airport at 9:53 am and arrived at Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport, and it is expected to enter service in the upcoming days.
The third C919 mirrors the cabin layout of its predecessors, offering 164 seats, eight in business class and 156 in economy class.
Since its maiden experimental flight in 2017, the C919 has been a symbol of China’s growing prowess in aviation. China Eastern Airlines, having received its first C919 in December 2022, has now expanded its service to include routes between Shanghai and Chengdu. Additionally, a landmark deal for 100 C919 aircrafts signifies the largest order in the history of this homegrown jet.
With a total of 1,061 orders, and two jets already in service, COMAC’s C919 is slowly making its way to become a competitor for the Chinese market to the Airbus A320 and Boeing 737 series.
The C919’s Debut Outside Mainland China
The C919, along with the ARJ21, is set to visit Hong Kong for the first time, marking its debut flight over the Hong Kong special administrative region. Both aircraft will enter Hong Kong airspace for the first time from December 12 to December 17, and that will be the first time for the C919 to leave the Chinese mainland.
The ARJ21 is already a part of the fleet of eight operators, including a foreign carrier, the Indonesian TransNusa.
The C919 will conduct a demonstration flight over Victoria Harbor for the public to witness the plane’s first flight over the Hong Kong special administrative region.
