This is a major first for China's air transport sector. The first Chinese-designed airliner, the C919, made its maiden commercial flight on Sunday. Beijing hopes the C919 can compete with popular foreign aircraft such as the Boeing 737 MAX and Airbus A320. "In the future, most passengers will be able to choose to travel on large domestically designed aircraft," state broadcaster CCTV said.

China Eastern Airlines flight MU9191 landed "smoothly" at Beijing Capital International Airport about 40 minutes early around 12:30 p.m. local time, according to CCTV. The flight "was extremely smooth, comfortable and memorable. I think I will remember it for a long time," a passenger on board the plane told CCTV after landing.

Regular trips from Monday

China, which is seeking to become self-sufficient in the technology sector, has invested heavily in the production of this first Chinese-designed airliner. The aircraft is built by the state-owned Comac enterprise, but many parts of the craft come from other countries.

The C919 will be mobilized from Monday for China Eastern Airlines' regular routes from Shanghai to the south city of Chengdu, CCTV reported. Zhang Yujin, deputy general manager of Comac, told the government-backed The Paper in January that the company had received more than 1,200 orders for its device. The state-owned automaker planned to increase its annual production capacity to 150 models within five years, Zhang Yujin said at the time.

  • World
  • China
  • Airplane