The recent delivery of two China-built narrow-body passenger jets, the C919, has been widely celebrated as another milestone for China's civil aviation market.
On the night of August 28, two C919s adorned with Air China and China Southern Airlines liveries were unveiled at the final assembly and manufacturing center of the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC) in Pudong, Shanghai. These deliveries mark the eighth and ninth C919 aircraft to be handed over to Chinese airlines.
\"This time, the deliveries to multiple users mean COMAC starts mass delivery to different customers,\" said civil aviation expert Lin Zhijie.
Lin further explained that the fact that the aircraft will be operated by different airlines under various conditions marks a \"very important stage for the C919's commercial operation.\"
COMAC's C919 received certification from Chinese civil aviation authorities in 2022. Since then, seven aircraft have been delivered to its first global operator, China Eastern Airlines, with maiden commercial operations starting in May 2023.
China Eastern currently operates five commercial routes using the C919, connecting Shanghai with Beijing, Chengdu, Xi'an, and other cities. On September 1, the jetliner welcomed its 500,000th passenger on a flight from Chengdu Tianfu International Airport to Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport. The China Eastern C919 fleet has logged over 10,000 flight hours of safe operations and completed more than 3,700 commercial flights.
Reference(s):
cgtn.com
