China jet to rival Airbus and Boeing makes first commercial flight

A made-in-China aircraft to rival Boeing Co. and Airbus SE underwent its maiden commercial flight on Sunday, almost six months after being delivered to China Eastern Airlines Corp.

Flight MU9191 took off from Shanghai at 10:32 a.m. local time, China Eastern said on its Weibo account. The plane carried 128 passengers and landed safely in Beijing, according to People’s Daily in a tweet.

The commercial debut marks a long journey for Commercial Aircraft Corp. of China Ltd., or Comac as it is better known. The manufacturer first starting developing the narrow-body airliner in 2008 and production began in late 2011. But it wasn’t until September 2022 when the C919 received official certification to fly, marking the long end of flight testing and paving the way for Comac to start deliveries.