China’s C919 Passenger Jet to Make First Commercial Flight
Chen Shanshan
DATE:  May 26 2023
/ SOURCE:  Yicai
China’s C919 Passenger Jet to Make First Commercial Flight China’s C919 Passenger Jet to Make First Commercial Flight

(Yicai Global) May 26 -- China’s home-developed C919 passenger plane will make its maiden commercial flight this weekend, following over 100 hours of test flights. 

The plane, made by Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China and owned by China Eastern Airlines, will depart from Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport on May 28 for Beijing Capital International Airport. Ticket sales for more C919 flights will start in the next two days. 

China Eastern is confident about the C919 and will introduce the first five this year with more to follow, Li Yangmin, vice chairman and general manager, said at the Shanghai-based carrier’s earnings press conference yesterday.

China Eastern took delivery of the world’s first C919 for commercial operation in December and conducted more than 100 hours of test flights to and from 10 airports in nine cities including Shanghai, Beijing, Chengdu, and Xi’an.

The first C919 flight has 164 seats, with eight business class seats and 156 in economy class.

Comac received an order for 60 C919 planes from HNA Group last month and the Shanghai-based plane maker received orders for 300 C919s from seven leasing firms in November.

China will have a fleet of more than 10,000 passenger planes by 2041, taking up 21 percent of the global total and making it the world’s largest aviation market, according to a recent prediction by Comac.

Editors: Dou Shicong, Tom Litting

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Keywords:   C919,maiden commercial flight