Beijing/Shanghai: In a major step marking its entry into the global aviation market, China's home-grown C919 passenger jet landed successfully in Shanghai after an 80-minute maiden flight on Friday.
The plane is seen as competition to Boeing 737 and Airbus A320 passenger jets in the most popular single aisle segment.
The plane's development was beset by production problems and delays - it had initially been slated to fly in 2014 - and it still relies on a wide-range of foreign technology, with General Electric and French firm Safran supplying the engines through a joint venture.
If the one-and-a-half-hour test 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. China Eastern Airlines is the launch customer for the plane, which COMAC says has 570 orders from 23 customers. These include Air China and GE Capital Aviation Services.
It's also an industry where results matter: Comac will need to win the trust of airlines in China and elsewhere by proving the jet can operate efficiently and reliably on scheduled flights.
The successful flight signals China's entry into the global aviation market, and moves the country one step closer to transforming itself from a manufacturer of low-priced goods to a creator of advanced technology.
The plane can come with 155-175 seats and has a standard flight length of 2,530 miles.
Author of memo about Comey is overseeing Russia-2016 probe
But he told senators: "I can't consider for a second whose political futures will be affected and in what way". The 56-year-old Comey, who is popular among rank-and-file agents, was appointed four years ago.
The CFM Leap 1C-powered C919 is created to seat 158 passengers in a standard two-class configuration.
China's first large passenger jet just completed its maiden flight today (May 5), but it will have to wait at least three years before it carries actual passengers. This follows the move by its chief rival Airbus to set up a final assembly plant in China in 2008. Comac also still hasn't proven itself capable of producing high quality planes that can pass toptier Western safety inspections on part with the Boeing-Airbus duopoly.
"I would say that a lot of their technology mirrors Airbus", he said.
In 2007, plans to develop a Chinese-built large passenger jet were approved by the State Council. "We are a supplier, customer, competitor and business partner to China's aviation industry".
The C919 carries 170 passengers and has a range of more than 5,500 kilometers, meaning it will match up against the Boeing 737 and Airbus A20 in a fast-growing aviation market.
"The world market is so complex and competitive that it is hard to hope that it will be possible to break into it immediately with a product that will beat all others and drive out all competitors", Kashin said, echoing Royce's remarks. According to aircraft tracker Flightradar24, the plane flew over the Yangtze River estuary and headed due north.
Comments