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China鈥檚 homegrown commercial jet C919 makes maiden flight

By Yang Jian | 14:05 UTC+8 May 5, 2017 | Online Edition

CHINA'S first home-developed narrow-body aircraft C919 took off from Pudong International Airport at 2pm for its maiden flight.

The single-aisle aircraft which rolled off the assembly line in Shanghai in November 2015 will rise to up to 3 kilometers high and is expected to land at the fourth runway at the airport after a 2-hour test flying.

Five crew members including the captain, copilot, observer and two test flying engineers are onboard the aircraft. The landing gear won't be lifted during the first-time flying to ensure a successful landing.

The crew are carrying out 15 tests including those on the air and ground communication system and imitated a go-around in the air during the test flying, according to the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC), the developer of C919.

A business jet with China Eastern Airlines flew with the C919 during the maiden flight with crew members monitoring the flying conditions and taking pictures and videos.

The C919, which has 168 seats and a range of about 5,000 kilometers, will compete with the updated Airbus A320 and new generation of Boeing 737. The company has received 570 orders for the aircraft from 23 foreign and domestic customers, including China’s national carrier Air China and leasing company GE Capital Aviation Service.

Further flying tests will be carried out in northwest Shaanxi Province on the aircraft which is expected to realize its commercial operations around 2020.

C919 means “China’s durable jet with a maximum 190 seats.” The capital “C” also symbolizes the ambition to compete with Airbus and Boeing, according to COMAC.

The company is working on the nation’s first wide-body passenger aircraft which will have 280 seats and a range of 12,000 kilometers.

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