01/06/2023

China’s C919 Takes Maiden Commercial Flight

First Bite From Boeing

China's first homegrown passenger jet C919 took off from Shanghai to Beijing on its maiden commercial flight on Sunday 28 May 2023.

After a 16-year development program plagued by delays, China’s homegrown C919 passenger jet made its long-awaited maiden commercial flight Sunday, marking a small but symbolic first challenge to Boeing and Airbus in one of their most important markets.

Despite backing from top leaders and a ready-made market for its planes, manufacturer Comac faces a steep path to success.


China’s C919 passenger jet to make first commercial flight
China's first homegrown jetliner, the C919 lands at Nanchang Changbei International Airport during a test flight on January 28, 2023

After years of research, development and tests, China’s first large homegrown passenger jet appears set to make its inaugural commercial flight on Sunday, May 28. China Eastern Airlines is the launch customer for the new narrow-body C919.

According to the airline’s app, flight MU 9191 will depart Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport at 10:45 a.m. local time, arriving at Beijing Capital International Airport at 1:10 p.m. In a message posted on its app, China Eastern Airlines said it will choose passengers via a lottery involving those who have applied to board the inaugural flight. Built by COMAC (Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China) in China, the first C919 was delivered to China Eastern Airlines in December 2022 and in the following months has been put through a series of test flights. The single-aisle, twin-engined aircraft has 164 seats in a two-class cabin configuration consisting of business and economy seats. With a range of up to 5,555 kilometers (3,452 miles), the C919 will be taking on the world’s two major aircraft manufacturers, Airbus and Boeing. It will be a direct competitor to their A320 and B737 narrowbody jets, most commonly used for domestic and regional international flights.

According to the 2022 Shanghai Science and Technology Progress Report issued by the Shanghai government, 32 clients had placed a total of 1,035 orders for the plane as of the end of 2022. Many of the plane’s major elements such as the nose, fuselage, outer wing, vertical stabilizer and horizontal stabilizer were designed by COMAC. However, the company enlisted Western companies to assist with some components. This includes the plane’s LEAP-1C engines, which were developed by CFM International, a joint venture between General Electric and French high-tech industrial group Safran.


China throws down the gauntlet: lifted off C919, first domestically produced plane
The aircraft has a maximum flight capacity of 3,500 miles (5,630 kilometres) & can carry up to 158-168 passengers

Departure at 10.45am from Shanghai, expected arrival in Beijing at 1.10pm. Return in the day, always following the same route, the busiest in all of China. After fifteen years of waiting, Comac's C919 takes flight, the Chinese answer to trying to undermine the monopoly of Airbus and Boeing. The 'Made in China' airliner took off on Sunday, for its first commercial flight, after flying hundreds of hours of test flights in recent months.

However, the 164-seat aircraft still relies heavily on Western components, including engines and avionics, i.e. the electronic equipment installed on board the aircraft. The state-owned China Eastern Airlines has ordered five aircraft. Comac plans to produce 150 aircraft per year within the next five years and claims to have already secured more than 1,200 orders for the C919. But some experts claim that most of these orders are letters of intent from domestic customers.

President Xi Jinping, who sat in the cockpit of a C919 model a few years ago, described the project as one of China's most innovative achievements. The aircraft has a maximum flight capacity of 3,500 miles (5,630 kilometres) and can carry up to 158-168 passengers. "After generations of efforts, we have finally broken the Western aviation monopoly and got rid of the humiliation of 800 million shirts for a Boeing," wrote the Beijing Daily newspaper, referring to the early period of China's opening up to international trade when it mainly produced low-value-added goods.

China’s first home-grown passenger jet, C919, marks first commercial flight
The flight marks a milestone for China’s efforts to become more self-reliant. PHOTO: XINHUA

China Eastern Airlines Corp Ltd entered China’s home-grown narrow-body C919 jet into passenger service on Sunday and completed its first commercial flight, marking a milestone in the country’s effort to become more self-reliant.

The C919 is the product of state-backed Commercial Aviation Corp of China (COMAC) which began developing the jet 15 years ago to rival Airbus SE’s A320neo and Boeing Co’s 737 MAX single-aisle jet families. President Xi Jinping has hailed the project as a triumph of Chinese innovation, while on Sunday state media trumpeted the plane as a symbol of industrial prowess and national pride. “After generations of endeavour, we finally broke the West’s aviation monopoly and rid ourselves of the humiliation of ‘800 million shirts for one Boeing’,” Beijing Daily wrote, referring to the early years of economic reform around 40 years ago when China manufactured mainly low-value goods.

The C919 took off at 10.32am from Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport where COMAC and China Eastern Airlines are headquartered, and landed two hours later at Beijing Capital Airport, showed flight tracker app Variflight. “I’m confident about the plane. The flight was smoother than expected,” one of about 130 passengers told state broadcaster CCTV as he disembarked.


China’s C919 passenger jet makes first commercial flight

China's first domestically made passenger aircraft lifted off on its inaugural commercial flight, marking a watershed moment in the country's drive to reach for the skies. Beijing hopes that the C919 commercial jetliner will challenge Western models like the Boeing 737 MAX and the Airbus A320.

Its first homegrown jetliner with mass commercial potential would also cut the country's reliance on foreign technology. "In the future, most passengers will be able to choose to travel by large, domestically produced aircraft," state broadcaster CCTV said. China Eastern Airlines flight MU9191 reached the skies above Shanghai Hongqiao Airport on Sunday morning, footage from CCTV showcased, and was due to land in Beijing in the early afternoon. 

The plane is carrying over 130 passengers, as per CCTV. Hundreds of passengers gathered at the sun-drenched Shanghai runway to ogle the sleek white plane, according to footage published by official media. They then filed into the narrow-body plane which taxied to the runway prior to its take-off. Passengers were given red boarding cards and would be treated to a delicious "themed meal" to remember the journey, CCTV added.


China’s C919 debut could inspire aviation supply chain to take off, but self-sufficiency ‘difficult’
China’s C919 passenger jet completes maiden commercial flight from Shanghai to Beijing

The successful commercial debut of China's home-grown C919 passenger jet has already prompted market expectations for a fast expansion of the domestic aircraft production supply chain, as Beijing seeks to to break its reliance on Boeing and Airbus.

Sunday's first commercial flight between Shanghai and Beijing has been seen as a critical step in China's bid for technological self-sufficiency in the face of intensifying trade tensions with the United States. "The completion of the inaugural flight will ... drive the entire supply chain on passenger flight production - from design, manufacturing, training and repair sections," Chen Xianfan, an analyst from the China International Capital Corporation, said on Monday.

Around 200 Chinese companies were involved in building the C919, according to a report from China Securities on Monday. We expect that it would be difficult to upgrade the productivity of the C919 model in a short period of time And while certain parts can already be domestically produced, the brokerage house expects the proportion will continue to grow.


China's first-ever large homegrown airliner has finally made its inaugural flight — meet the Comac C919
The C919 is a narrowbody passenger plane made by state-owned aerospace manufacturer Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (Comac)

The China Eastern plane is fit with eight business class seats and 156 economy seats, with the inflight interiors and entertainment system being custom-designed, per the planemaker.

To celebrate the historic event, passengers were given red boarding passes and served a "themed" meal onboard, including a dessert that had the airline's logo.

In addition to the inaugural route, the carrier also plans to fly the 164-seater aircraft to cities like Guangzhou, Chengdu, and Xiamen, Reuters reported.


China’s C919 timeline 2008-23: first commercial flight 15 years in the making

The Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (Comac) was formed in 2008 to develop the C919 narrow-body passenger jet.

The C919 was formally put into service with its maiden commercial flight in May 2023. The Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (Comac) was formed in 2008 to develop the C919 narrow-body passenger jet, which eventually completed its maiden commercial flight in May 2023.

But how did it take 15 years for the C919 to take the two-hour commercial flight from Shanghai to Beijing?
  • May 2008: Comac formed - China forms the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (Comac) in Shanghai.
  • January 2009: Comac to develop C919 - Comac announces it will develop the C919 narrow-body passenger jet. State media reports the C919 is expected to have its maiden flight in 2014 and will be delivered to airlines in 2016.
  • September 2009: Comac unveils C919 - Comac unveils a model of the C919 aircraft for the first time at the Asian Aerospace Expo in Hong Kong.
  • December 2009: Comac confirms C919 engine supplier - CFM International, a joint venture between GE Aviation from the United States and France's Safran Aircraft Engines, is selected by Comac to supply the LEAP engine to the C919.
  • December 2010: CAAC accepts application for C919 type certificate - The Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) accepts Comac's application for a type certificate - the airworthiness of an aircraft design - for the C919
  • November 2012: C919 development going according to plan, Comac says - Comac says at the Zhuhai air show that the development of C919 is going according to plan. It also says it has received 380 orders.
  • October 2013: C919's maiden flight delayed - Local media report the C919's maiden flight will be delayed by a year until 2015, pushing the first delivery dates to around 2017 or 2018.
  • September 2014: Comac begins C919 assembly - Comac begins the assembly of the C919 at its Pudong base.
  • May 2015: C919 delays - Reuters reports that the C919 would have to delay its maiden flight for a year and that it will also have to postpone its first delivery for two years.
  • July 2015: First C919 engine delivered - CFM International delivers the first LEAP engine for the C919 in Shanghai.
  • November 2015: Comac unveils C919 - Comac unveils the C919 for the first time in a ceremony attended by some 4,000 government officials and guests at a hangar near Shanghai's Pudong International Airport.
  • November 2016: China Eastern Airlines to be first C919 customer - Shanghai-based China Eastern Airlines announces at the Zhuhai air show that it will be the first C919 customer.
  • May 2017: Maiden C919 flight - C919 makes its maiden flight in Shanghai.
  • October 2017: FAA and CAAC agree to recognise regulatory systems - The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and CAAC agree to recognise each other's regulatory systems with respect to the airworthiness of aviation products and articles.
  • February 2020: Trump supports sales of hi-tech products to China - US President Donald Trump says that he will support sales of hi-tech products to China after media reports suggested Washington may block the export of the LEAP engine to Comac.
  • January 2021: Comac blacklisted - US government includes Comac on a military blacklist, banning US investment.
  • March 2021: China Eastern Airlines orders 5 C919 - China Eastern Airlines signs a firm order for five C919s.
  • June 2021: US, EU agree subsidies truce - The US and the European Union agree to a truce in their near 17-year conflict over aircraft subsidies to Boeing and Airbus and to set up a working group to address "non-market practices" in other countries, most notably China.
  • November 2021: Comac removed from US blacklist - Biden administration adjusts its military blacklist to remove Comac.
  • September 2022: C919 receives a type certificate - C919 receives a type certificate from CAAC.
  • November 2022: Comac secures orders for 300 C919 - Comac says it has secured orders from seven leasing firms for 300 C919.
  • December 2022: Comac delivers first C919 jet to China Eastern Airlines - Comac delivers the first C919 jet to China Eastern Airlines in Shanghai and it begins a reported 100 hours of test flights.
  • May 2023: C919 completes its first commercial flight - Bearing the symbolic number MU9191, the flight operated by China Eastern Airlines and carrying more than 130 passengers travels between Shanghai and Beijing.

China-developed C919 jet expected price doubles, to match Boeing and Airbus
China Eastern Airlines said that it is planning to raise capital to buy four C919 aircraft from the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China. PHOTO: ENGLISH.COMAC.CC

A China-developed jetliner that Beijing hopes will rival those of Boeing and Airbus is going to cost nearly twice the price anticipated. In a Tuesday (May 10) filing to the Shanghai Stock Exchange, China Eastern Airlines Corp said that it is planning to raise capital to buy four C919 aircraft from China's state-owned aerospace giant Commercial Aircraft Corp. of China (COMAC). Each jet is listed for a price of 653 million yuan (S$134 million).

That price would put the C919 in the same range as narrow-body competitors like the Airbus A320neo, with a list price of US$111 million (S$154 million), and the troubled Boeing 737 Max, which has a list price of US$117 million. Analysts had initially estimated the C919 to cost around US$50 million, giving it a significant cost advantage over those of the established foreign duopoly. The four C919s are part of China Eastern's broader fleet expansion plan, which consists of 24 domestically developed ARJ21-700 regional aircraft, six Airbus A350-900 wide-body aircraft and four Boeing 787-9 wide-body aircraft, the filing said.

In order to fund the purchase, China Eastern plans to raise 10.5 billion yuan by selling its A-shares to a consortium of up to 35 investors including its controlling shareholder China Eastern Air Holding, according to the filing. The 38 airplanes will cost a total of US$4.38 billion, or 28.9 billion yuan, and China Eastern said that it will raise extra funds through other channels to fill the cash shortfall. The eventual sale could cost less as aircraft-makers typically offer bigger discounts to customers who buy in bulk, an industry insider told Caixin.


China unveils jet to rival Boeing and Airbus
The fifth prototype of China's home-built C919 passenger plane takes off for its first test flight from Shanghai Pudong International Airport in Shanghai, China October 24, 2019. Picture taken October 24, 2019. REUTERS / Stringer

China's homegrown C919 narrow-body jet, designed to challenge the Airbus-Boeing (AIR.PA)(BA.N) duopoly, is nearing certification as its test planes completed all of the test flight tasks, the company said on Saturday.

The state-owned manufacturer Commercial Aircraft Corp of China (COMAC) said on its official social media account that the six test planes have finished the testing tasks as the programme enters the final stage of receiving a certificate from the Civil Aviation Administration of China which is required for commercial operations. That would mark a milestone in China's ambitions to climb up the manufacturing supply chain.

Designed to compete directly with the Boeing 737 MAX and Airbus 320neo families, the C919 aircraft programme has faced a range of technical issues and tougher U.S. export controls, after being launched in 2008, Reuters has reported. The launch customer is the state-owned China Eastern Airlines (600115.SS), which has placed an order for five C919 jets in March last year. Changjiang Daily, a newspaper owned by the local government of Wuhan, said in a report on July 8 the airline is scheduled to take the first delivery in August.


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