First China-made passenger jet makes maiden flight‘COMING OF AGE’: The C919 commercial jetliner would operate on China Eastern Airlines’ route between Shanghai and the southwestern city of Chengdu, CCTV saidAFP, BEIJINGChina’s first domestically produced passenger jet made its maiden commercial flight yesterday, a milestone event in the nation’s decades-long effort to compete with Western rivals in the air. Beijing hopes that the C919 commercial jetliner would challenge foreign models such as the Boeing Co 737 MAX and the Airbus SE A320, but many of its parts are sourced from abroad. A passenger takes photos as he boards China’s first domestically produced passenger jet C919 before its first commercial flight from Shanghai to Beijing, at Shanghai Hongqiao Airport yesterday. China has invested heavily in production of the homegrown jet as it seeks to become self-sufficient in key technologies. The aircraft is manufactured by state-owned Commercial Aircraft Corp of China (COMAC, 中國商用飛機), but many of its parts — including its engines — are sourced from overseas.
