China’s 1st domestically made passenger plane completes maiden commercial flight

BEIJING (AP) — China’s first domestically made passenger jet has flown its maiden commercial flight, as China looks to compete with industry giants such as Boeing and Airbus in the global aircraft market. The C919 plane, built by the Commercial Aviation Corporation of China, carried about 130 passengers on the flight. It took off Sunday morning from Shanghai Hongqiao Airport and landed less than two hours later in Beijing. The inaugural flight comes as COMAC looks to break into the single-aisle jet market in a direct challenge to Airbus and Boeing. While COMAC designed many of the C919’s parts, some of its key components are still sourced from the West, including its engine.