The Chinese aircraft manufacturer, COMACfounded by the Chinese government in order to compete with the duopoly of the aircraft manufacturers Boeing and Airbus, delivered the first passenger plane it produced to China Eastern Airlines, the Chinese airline based in Shanghai, which was also involved in the development of the plane.
The plane, manufactured as mentioned by the Chinese airline, is a narrow-body passenger plane designed to compete directly with Airbus planes A320 and Boeing 737 which are the most popular and common in international aviation.
the planeC919 It is China’s first large passenger plane that meets international standards and has been licensed and certified. The plane is designed for short to medium-haul flights and is capable of carrying 158 to 192 passengers for a distance of 4,075 km. The aircraft features advanced aerodynamic design, propulsion and materials, as well as lower carbon emissions and greater fuel efficiency than the aircraft it seeks to replace. The plane has 164 seats and it includes eight seats in business class and 156 seats in tourist class.
Although the plane is manufactured in China, it contains quite a few western parts, and its engines are manufactured by the French-American corporation – CFM International General Electric and-Safran.
China Eastern Airlines will be the first airline in China and in the whole world to fly the plane on regular commercial flights on domestic and international routes. The company ordered 5 planes C919which will start operating in the company’s service already in the first quarter of 2023.
company COMAC reported that it has already received more than 1,000 orders for the plane, including about 300 new orders since its first public display at the Zhuhai Air Show in China last month. The price of the plane is 99 million dollars.