The first commercial flight of China’s homegrown C919 narrow-body jet will take place on Sunday, according to information displayed on the carrier’s app on Friday. China Eastern Airlines will be the aircraft’s first user.
The C919 flight will depart Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport with flight number MU9191 at 10:45 a.m. Beijing time (02:45 GMT) and land at Beijing Capital Airport at 1:10 p.m.
The C919’s entry into commercial service is a significant step in the nation’s aspirations that the aircraft will end the long-standing duopoly of airline manufacture held by Airbus and Boeing.
The C919 is a single-aisle jet manufactured by Commercial Aviation Corp of China (COMAC) to compete with the Airbus (AIR.PA) A320neo and Boeing (BA.N) 737 MAX single-aisle jet families.
China Eastern (600115.SS) announced on Thursday that C919 would be placed into service “in the near future” and that Shanghai would be the plane’s primary operating base. An inquiry for comment on the airline was not immediately returned on Friday.
The Shanghai Stamp Collecting Corporation said on Tuesday that a commemorative stamp would be released to mark the first flight of C919 on Sunday.
In March 2021, China Eastern agreed to buy five C919s, marking the first order for the aircraft on a commercial basis. The carrier with its headquarters in Shanghai got its first C919, designated B-919A, in December and started 100 hours of test flights for empty aircraft verification.
Last year, it was reported by China’s official Xinhua news agency that the C919 would fly for the first time on a commercial flight in the spring.
The 164-seat aircraft has a two-class cabin configuration with business and economy seating.
The C919 is made in China, however it significantly depends on Western components from the likes of avionics and engines a number of businesses, such as GE (GE.N), Safran (SAF.PA), and Honeywell worldwide (HON.O).