China-made passenger jet to make its debut at air show

This article is more than 12 months old

Nov 05, 2022 05:20 pm

SHENZHEN - The C919 passenger jet will join the opening flight display in China’s biggest air show in the southern city of Zhuhai on Tuesday, according to a schedule posted by the organisers, in what will be its first public flight or display.

The C919, made by the Commercial Aircraft Corp of China (COMAC) to rival single-aisle jets made by western manufacturers Airbus and Boeing, has never been displayed or publicly flown.

China will show off its home-grown civil and military aviation technology at the air show, where 740 businesses are expected to take part online and offline.

The C919‘s presence was confirmed on the schedule on the organiser’s official WeChat social media account. It will make a 15-minute flying show for each of the six days of the airshow.

At the end of September, COMAC held a certification ceremony for the C919, which can now be delivered to its first customer, China Eastern Airlines Corp, although it needs a separate production certificate before it can ramp up mass production.

Also scheduled to appear are China’s domestically developed AG600, the world’s largest amphibious aircraft, as well as the Y20 military transport aircraft. - REUTERS