China’s first homemade large passenger plane completes maiden flight
The first large made-in-China passenger plane successfully completed its maiden test flight on Friday, marking a key milestone on the country’s ambitious journey to compete with the world’s leading aircraft makers.
The narrow-body C919 jet -white with green and blue stripes -- disappeared into the clouds after taking off from Pudong international airport in the commercial hub Shanghai as a crowd of thousands cheered, including top officials.
It successfully landed some 80 minutes later and the five-member crew was handed flowers, with captain Cai Jun describing the flight as “very satisfactory.”
Built by state-owned aerospace manufacturer Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC), the plane represents nearly a decade of effort in a government-mandated drive to reduce dependence on European consortium Airbus and US aerospace giant Boeing.
“China’s big commercial jet project made a huge breakthrough. It is a major milestone of China’s aviation market,” China’s State Council said.
State media said the plane flew at an altitude of around 3,000 metres, some 7,000 metres lower than a regular trip, and at a speed of more than 300 km per hour.
While delayed since last year, the flight is the latest sign of China’s growing ambition and technical skill, coming one week after it launched its first domestically made aircraft carrier and docked a cargo spacecraft with an orbiting space lab.