2023-05-28 11:23:59
With our correspondent in Beijing, Stephane Lagarde
With 128 passengers on board and the iconic flight number #MU9191, China Eastern Airlines’ white plane was on every smartphone this Sunday in China. Music and state media specials that followed this premier vol commercial du C919 since taking off this morning at 10.35 a.m. in Shanghai, until landing two hours later on the tarmac in Beijing where two fire trucks were waiting for a “ hi aquatic » : two jets of water forming an arch as the aircraft arrives.
According to China’s central television, the lucky ones who were able to board the aircraft, received red boarding passes and were able to enjoy a ” themed meals “. Pride and patriotism in the comments : « most passengers will in future be able to choose to travel on large nationally-designed aircraft “, further underlines the state channel.
With seven years behind the initial schedule and in a climate of mistrust vis-à-vis the air in a context of decarbonization of transport, the Chinese manufacturer Comac dreams of competing with the Airbus A320 and the 737- Max from Boeing. The device would have already recorded more than 1 200 orders, mainly from Chinese companies. The first aircraft of Chinese design, the C919 remains dependent on foreign technologies, and in particular its Leap1C engine developed by GE-Safran.
The technological prowess put forward by Beijing is therefore to be qualified, as explained by Jean-Vincent Brisset, Air Brigadier General, researcher associated with IRIS, specialist in China.
Jean-Vincent Brisset, Air Brigadier General, associate researcher at Iris
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