BEIJING: China’s first domestically produced pass­enger jet made its maiden commercial flight on Sunday, a milestone event in the nation’s decades-long effort to compete with Western rivals in the air.

Beijing hopes the C919 commercial jetliner will challenge foreign models like the Boeing 737 MAX and the Airbus A320, though many of its parts are sourced from abroad.

Its first homegrown jetliner with mass commercial potential would also cut the country’s reliance on foreign technology as ties with the West deteriorate.

“In the future, most passengers will be able to choose to travel by large, domestically produced aircraft,” state broadcaster CCTV said.

Beijing hopes it will challenge models like Boeing, Airbus

China Eastern Airlines flight MU9191 from Shanghai “arrived smoo­thly” in Beijing just after 12:30pm, around 40 minutes ahead of schedule, according to CCTV.

Footage showed passengers filing out of the plane and into the terminal, before a few dozen staff and officials posed for photographs in a brief ceremony on the tarmac.

“[The flight] was extremely smooth, comfortable and memorable. I think I’ll remember this fondly for some time to come,” a male passenger told CCTV.

China has invested heavily in production of the homegrown jet as it seeks to become self-sufficient in key technologies.

The aircraft is manufactured by state-owned Commercial Aircraft Cor­p­oration of China, but many of its parts — including its engines — are sourced from overseas.

From Monday, the C919 will operate on China Eastern’s regular route between Shanghai and Chengdu, CCTV reported.

The first model of the narrow-body jet was for­­mally handed over to China Eastern last year.

Published in Dawn, May 29th, 2023