The C919, China’s first single-aisle aircraft, was presented to the press this Wednesday, December 13 in Hong Kong. It is a potential competitor to Airbus and Boeing and an emblematic aircraft of Beijing’s aeronautical ambitions.
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With our correspondent in Beijing, Stéphane Lagarde
This isn’t the first “first time” for the C919. From the first press conference at the manufacturer’s headquarters in Shanghai in November 2015, the first Chinese airliner continues to enter the runway.
Like the space adventure, China knows how to stage the appearances of this first commercial model: a first test flight in May 2017, a first public release during an air show in November 2022, a first commercial flight last May. And so this Wednesday, December 13, a conference took place with the international press.
A first flight on Saturday
On Saturday, the aircraft will make its first flight over the port of Hong Kong, therefore its first outing outside mainland China. Designed to accommodate 168 passengers and to travel 5,555 kilometers non-stop, the 38 meter long aircraft is almost the size of the Airbus A320 and the Boeing 737 MAX.
It is the result of a long effort by engineers from the manufacturer COMAC created in 2008, still with many foreign technologies and equipment in its design. The C919 runs on Michelin tires for example.
And the first orders have been placed. China Eastern Airlines received its third aircraft last Saturday and announced it would order 100 more models.