The C919, the Chinese passenger plane that has to compete with Western aircraft manufacturers Airbus and Boeing, was unveiled at a major aviation fair in southern China on Tuesday. It was the first public appearance of the medium-haul aircraft since its approval by the Chinese authorities in late September.
The single-aisle aircraft, which belongs to the same category as the A320 series of the European aircraft manufacturer Airbus and the 737 series of the American Boeing, carried out a demonstration flight at an aviation fair in the Chinese city of Zhuhai.
Aircraft manufacturer Comac began 14 years ago with the development of the C919, the first large passenger aircraft developed by China itself. Thanks to the device, China hopes to become less dependent on foreign players, even though most of the high-tech systems and components on board still come from overseas.
China Eastern Airlines is expected to be the first user of the C919. It recently announced it plans to add four aircraft to the fleet, possibly in the first quarter of 2023, according to Chinese media.
Comac claims to have already received more than 800 orders from dozens of customers.
The C919 has not yet been approved by the European and American aviation authorities and therefore is not yet authorized to fly there.
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