China Eastern Airlines performed its first commercial flight on Sunday with a C919 from Chinese aircraft maker Comac. The aircraft flew from Shanghai to Beijing this morning.
There were more than 130 passengers on board, the plane is the Chinese version of the Boeing 737 and with this Comac competes with the American aircraft manufacturer and also with the European Airbus.
Little player
Comac has been making airplanes for years, but has been a minor player until now. The aircraft market for hundred-seat aircraft is split between Airbus and Boeing. The European manufacturer Airbus in particular has been very active in the Chinese market in recent years because Boeing has been more affected by the trade tensions between China and the United States and because the American manufacturer had to ground the 737 MAX aircraft for a long time after two accidents with that type of aircraft.
Comac has been developing the C919 since 2008 and presented the first prototype of the device in 2015. Although the C919 is produced in China, the manufacturer Comac depends on Western companies for many parts, such as the American General Electric and Honeywell and the French Safran.
Source: BNR
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