Chinese aircraft manufacturer Comac tested its C919 passenger aircraft for about three hours on Saturday. The aircraft will be delivered to the first customer “soon”, China’s state broadcaster CCTV reported.
The C919 is the first large passenger aircraft developed by China itself. It is a single-aisle aircraft, which is in the same category as the A320 of the European aircraft manufacturer Airbus and the 737 of the American Boeing. Those are two of the best-selling aircraft series in the world. Airbus and Boeing have virtually a duopoly on the market for aircraft from 100 seats.
Comac started development of the C919 in 2008 and the very first test flight took place in 2017. But the aircraft manufacturer missed an earlier deadline to deliver the first C919 at the end of 2021. The first customer of the C919 is China Eastern Airlines. The company ordered five copies of the device.
Although China wants to become less dependent on Airbus and Boeing with the C919, the aircraft remains dependent on foreign companies such as General Electric for many important parts.
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