Large Chinese-made passenger jet makes maiden flight

SHANGHAI: The first large Chinese-made passenger jetliner took off on its maiden test flight Friday from Shanghai, a symbolic milestone in China’s long-term goal to break into the Western-dominated aircraft market.

China is touting the C919 as a rival to single-aisle jets the Airbus A320 and Boeing 737. The plane was originally due to fly in 2014 before being delivered to buyers in 2016, but has been beset by delays blamed on manufacturing problems.

If the maiden flight is successful, the aircraft’s maker, state-owned Commercial Aircraft Corp. of China Ltd., or Comac, will then seek certification from China’s civil aviation authority and foreign regulators before making



any deliveries.

The jet’s development is a key step on the path laid out by Chinese leaders to transform the country into a creator of profitable technology.

Comac says it has 570 orders, mostly from state-owned Chinese airlines. A total of 23 domestic and foreign customers have placed orders. The handful of foreign customers includes GE Capital Aviation Services and Thailand’s City Airways.

The plane can come with 155-175 seats and has a standard flight length of 4,075 kilometers (2,530 miles).

China’s first domestically made jet, the twin-engined regional ARJ-21, flew its passengers in June 2016, eight years after its first test flight.