China's first home-made passenger plane takes to the skies for its maiden flight:
Beijing begins its $1 trillion plan to take on western airlines
- Twin-engine C919 today completed its maiden flight from Shanghai Pudong International Airport
- The made-by-China airliner is set to compete with Boeing 737 and Airbus 320, but is much cheaper
- China is attempting to replace all 6,000-6,800 of its western aircraft at a cost of around $1 trillion
- COMAC spent 11 years and £5 billion ($6.5 billion) developing the plane as a part of China's aviation dreams
China's first domestically built passenger plane completed its maiden flight today. The narrow-body twin-engine C919 (pictured) successfully took off from Shanghai Pudong International Airport at 2pm local time (7am BST) amid much fanfare
China's first domestically built passenger plane completed its maiden flight today.
The narrow-body, twin-engine C919 successfully took off from Shanghai Pudong International Airport at 2pm local time (7am BST) amid much fanfare.
The single-aisle aircraft has been billed as China's answer to the Boeing 737 and Airbus 320 as the nation aims to take on western airlines.
The C919 flight is Beijing's first step toward independence from Boeing and Airbus as it attempts to replace all 6,000-6,800 of its western aircraft at a cost of around $1 trillion.
The single-aisle aircraft has been billed as China's answer to Boeing 737 and Airbus 320 as the nation aims to raise its profile in the global aviation market. A view from inside the cockpit of China's new COMAC C919 aircraft
China's new aircraft has a large wingspan of 116 feet (35.4m) and can carry more than 150 passengers at time. It took a decade of research to develop costing more than £5 billion ($6.5 billion)
The narrow-body C919 jet - white with green and blue stripes - disappeared into the clouds after taking off from Pudong international airport today in the commercial hub Shanghai as a crowd of thousands cheered, including top officials
New and glitzy: The narrow-body single-aisle plane is set to carry 158 to 168 passengers and is built by a state-owned firm
Getting ready: The plane took off from Shanghai Pudong International Airport at 2pm local time and landed at 3:20pm
A comparison of the C919 with similar models offered by Boeing and Airbus. Estimates predict that China's new model is significantly cheaper than 737 and A320
China is a massive battleground for Boeing and Airbus, with the country's travel market expected to surpass the United States by 2024, according to the International Air Transport Association.
Both companies congratulated COMAC on the flight.
But aviation experts have warned that getting the craft from test flight to mass production is likely to be difficult.
They have questioned how much value China will get from the billions of dollars it has spent developing the craft because the C919 may not obtain the European and US certification needed to fly in most international markets.
C919's maiden flight lasted an hour and 20 minutes.
Sporting white, green and blue livery, the single-aisle aircraft reached 10,000 feet with a maximum speed of 170 knots (196 miles per hour or 315 kph).
Chinese media, including state broadcaster CCTV and news portal Sina, broadcast C919's first flight live online.
The aircraft had no passenger seats installed. Instead, it carried 'a large number of devices' to collect 44,000 data points during the maiden flight, according to Huanqiu.com, an affiliation to People's Daily.
A five-member team operated the C919 during the first flight, including two pilots, one observer and two engineers, said Huanqiu.
The made-in-China airliner is built by Commercial Aircraft Corp of China (COMAC), a Chinese state-owned aviation manufacturer based in Shanghai.
But the company sourced many of the C919's most important parts from European and US companies such as GE, Safran and Honeywell.
The airliner, which has taken 11 years to develop, can fit 158 to 168 seats.
In comparison, different models of Boeing 737 can seat 85 to 215 passengers; while an A320 can accommodate 100 to 240 people.
A symbol of China's ambitions to muscle into the global jet market, the C919 is estimated to be worth £1.5 trillion ($1.95 trillion) over the next two decades, reported Reuters.
'The significance is huge, it's the first ever large-frame aircraft made in China,' Xiong Yuexi, a plane design expert at Beihang University in Beijing told Reuters ahead of the launch.
'It has a great impact for the Chinese people and the domestic market.'
COMAC has built one C919 so far and is in the process of assembling the second and third.
The company has received 570 orders for the aircraft from 23 domestic and overseas clients, said state newspaper People's Daily.
Much fanfare: Spectators took photos as they watched the C919 coming in for a landing on its maiden flight today in Shanghai
It's a success! Members of staff waved as they step out of China's home-grown C919 passenger plane. A five-person team operated the aircraft, including two pilots, one observer and two engineers, according to Chinese media
Time to celebrate: Onlookers waved at the C919 during its maiden flight. China and its people view the aircraft as a symbolic milestone in the nation's long-term goal to break into the Western-dominated aircraft market
Taking to the skies: China's self-developed C919 passenger plane completed its maiden flight today in Shanghai
CHINA'S RIVALRY WITH AIRBUS AND BOEING
The C919 was built as part of a government-mandated drive to reduce dependence on European consortium Airbus and US aerospace giant Boeing.
China is a massive battleground for Boeing and Airbus, with the country's travel market expected to surpass the United States by 2024, according to the International Air Transport Association.
Airbus and Boeing estimate that Chinese airlines will need between 6,000-6,800 aircraft at a total price of around $1 trillion.
Both companies congratulated COMAC on the flight.
But aviation experts have warned that getting the craft from test flight to mass production is likely to difficult.
They question how much value China will get from the billions of dollars it has spent, especially as it may not obtain the European and US certification needed to fly in most international markets.
C919, China's first self-developed airliner, is often compared to Boeing 737 (file photo pictured)
Highly anticipated: A C919 taxied on the tarmac as it prepared to take off from the Shanghai Pudong International Airport
Sky high ambition: China hopes to break into the global civil aviation market with its home-built narrow-body C919
Last month, the Chinese state TV released a time-lapse video to show the building process of the highly anticipated aircraft.
The video, released by China Central Television on April 20, captured how the first C919 was assembled.
In the time-lapse clip, workers are seen spending 72 days putting together the aircraft at COMAC's factory in Shanghai. Parts were sent in from four Chinese cities.
The Chinese aircraft is also set to rival Airbus 320, which is dubbed 'the work horse of the sky'. Above is a file picture of an A320 used by IndiGo
Proud product: The single-aisle aircraft has been billed as China's answer to Boeing 737 and Airbus 320 as the nation aims to raise its profile in the global aviation market
All set: It has been estimated that a C919 would be 30 per cent cheaper than a Boeing 737 or an Airbus 320
China has spent 45 billion yuan (£5 billion or $6.5 billion) on the research and development of C919, according to current estimates.
The aircraft has a flight range of up to 3,451 miles (5,555 kilometres), which means the aircraft can fly non-stop from Shanghai to Jakarta or from Paris to Montreal.
Although the country has much ambition to challenge the world's current aviation giants, C919's maiden flight has been postponed for a number of times due to technical reasons.
The aircraft has a flight range of up to 3,451 miles (5,555 kilometres), which means the aircraft can fly non-stop from Shanghai to Jakarta or from Paris to Montreal. Above, a C919 was seen in the hanger in Shanghai on May 4
Big plane, big dream: Employees worked at Manufacturing and Final Assembly Center of state-owned Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC) as media toured the venue on May 4
On its maiden flight, C919 reportedly carried 'a large number of devices' to collect 44,000 data points for further analyses
C919 made its worldwide debut in November 2015.
On the debut ceremony, COMAC's chairman, Jin Zhuanglong, said: 'The roll-out of the first C919 aircraft marks a significant milestone in the development of China's first indigenous aircraft.'
COMAC is yet to release the price tag of the jet, but a report by China National Radio predicted that C919 was likely to be priced at £33 million ($43 million), cheaper than a Boeing 737 or an Airbus 320 which each cost around £62 million ($80 million) and £77 million ($100 million) respectively.
Hard working: The aircraft is developed and built by the Commercial Aircraft Corp of China (COMAC). The company is based in Shanghai, but has factories around the country. Above, workers stand outside the cockpit section of a C919 passenger plane at the Chengdu Aircraft Industry plant in Chengdu
Building China's aviation dream: A worker stands outside the cockpit section of China's third C919 passenger plane at the Chengdu Aircraft Industry plant in Chengdu. COMAC has built one C919 and is assembling the second and third
At glimpse into the factory: Technicians work on door panels for China's third C919 passenger plane at the Chengdu Aircraft Industry plant in Chengdu on May 4
COMAC also plans a wide-body plane, the C929, in cooperation with Russia's United Aircraft Corp.
Speculation is mounting that China will create a new aero-engine entity to try to produce the powerful jets needed for large civil aircraft.
In a report released in October, 2016, The International Air Transport Association (IATA) expects that 7.2 billion passengers would travel in 2035. The figure nearly doubles the number of air travelers in 2016, which is 3.8 billion.
Previously, Airbus' Global Market Forecast predicted that the world would need around 32,600 new passenger and freighter aircrafts in the next 18 years to meet the growing demands.
China will become the leading country for passenger air traffic with its domestic traffic set to become the world' s number one within eight years, said the the same Airbus report.
This photo, taken on April 16, 2017, shows C919 being given the first high-speed taxi test at Shanghai Pudong International Airport
(Culled from the Mail, UK)
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