Chinese aircraft C919 takes first flight in Year of Rabbit

Beijing, The Gulf Observer: China’s first domestically-developed large passenger aircraft C919 has taken its first flight in the Year of the Rabbit, making another step forward in its 100-hour aircraft validation flight process.

On Saturday at 10:30 a.m., the C919 of China Eastern Airlines (CEA), flight number MU7817 landed smoothly at Nanchang Changbei International Airport, east China’s Jiangxi Province.

The flight tested the aircraft’s full process operation capability.

Developed by Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China, the C919 is China’s first domestically-developed large passenger plane. It’s a milestone in the country’s pursuit of civil planes designed and manufactured locally.

CEA took delivery of its first C919 on December 9, 2022. The company carried out a 100-hour verification flight for its first C919 aircraft on December 26, 2022 to verify and confirm the aircraft’s operation safety, paving the way for its commercial debut in spring of 2023.

CEA said the C919 is expected to operate on routes to Chinese cities including Shanghai, Beijing, Xi’an, Kunming, Guangzhou, Chengdu and Shenzhen.