“China’s C919 passenger aircraft makes successful maiden flight”

The aircraft of China Eastern Airlines Flight MU9191 took off from Hongqiao Airport in Shanghai at 10:30 a.m. local time (3:30 a.m. Belgian time), according to state broadcaster CCTV. More than 130 passengers were on board the plane bound for Beijing International Airport.

According to the airline’s website, the plane landed at approximately 1:10 p.m. local time (5:10 a.m. Belgian time).

China, which is striving to become self-sufficient in the technology sector, has invested heavily in the production of this first Chinese-designed aircraft, which will compete with Europe’s Airbus and America’s Boeing.

Comac, which built the C919, has been making planes for years, but has been a minor player until now. The aircraft market for aircraft with more than 100 seats is divided between Airbus and Boeing. The European manufacturer Airbus in particular has been very active in the Chinese market in recent years because Boeing was more affected by trade tensions between China and the United States and because the American manufacturer had to ground the 737 MAX aircraft for a long time after two crashes with that type of aircraft.

Comac has been developing the C919 since 2008 and presented the first prototype of the device in 2015. Although the C919 is made in China, manufacturer Comac depends on Western companies for many parts, such as the American General Electric and Honeywell and the French Safran.