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the domestically-produced c919 large aircraft successfully carried out its maiden flight today.

at 13:00 on september 10, 2024, china international airlines corporation limited (hereinafter referred to as "air china") flight ca1523 flew from beijing capital international airport to shanghai hongqiao airport, marking the successful maiden flight of air china's first c919 aircraft and its official operation.

at 11:06 a.m., ca1523 took off on time. the carefully designed cabin environment, comfortable and convenient seat design, exclusive cultural and creative souvenirs with air china c919 characteristics, in-flight meals, in-flight entertainment programs... a series of customized service products surprised the passengers again and again. the passengers on the inaugural flight said that air china c919 left them with unforgettable memories and it was a wonderful and special journey.

after the plane landed, the captain of the domestic large aircraft said in a group interview with the media, including the paper, "the flight was very smooth, and we strictly followed the planned route. the weather was also very good (today), the overall flight was very stable, and the performance of the aircraft was also very good." the captain also said that he has been strengthening his own training, improving his professional level and his ability to control the aircraft, so as to better fly the c919.

according to a reporter from the paper, air china's c919 aircraft is the first in the industry to adopt the extended-range model, with a larger maximum take-off weight and engine thrust, and better market applicability; the cabin layout of 8 business-class seats and 150 economy-class seats can provide a more spacious riding experience; "phoenix dancing in the clouds" interior products, six-way adjustable headrests, high-power and high-speed usb-c and usb-a charging ports, adjustable top reading lights, multi-layer storage bags and mobile device holders and a series of other seats and additional functional designs give passengers a more convenient and considerate experience.

air china said that in the future, it will continue to strengthen the c919 aircraft operation support system, lay a solid foundation for large-scale operations, give full play to its own route network advantages, expand the fleet's carrying capacity, meet the passengers' popular air travel needs, and provide high-quality support for the domestic large aircraft industry to usher in a new era.

the c919 is my country's first jetliner independently developed in accordance with international airworthiness standards and with independent intellectual property rights. it adopts a single-aisle narrow-body layout, with 158 to 168 seats and a range of 4,075 to 5,555 kilometers. currently, the number of orders for the c919 has exceeded 1,000.

in april this year, air china (601111.sh) and china southern airlines (600029.sh) both announced that they would purchase 100 c919 series aircraft from comac, which will be delivered in phases from 2024 to 2031. on september 28, 2023, china eastern airlines (600115.sh), as the world's first user of the c919 large passenger aircraft, ordered 100 more c919 large passenger aircraft on the basis of the first batch of 5 aircraft signed in 2021. according to the plan, the 100 c919s will be delivered in batches from 2024 to 2031.

this also means that air china, china eastern airlines and china southern airlines, the three major aviation central enterprises, have all ordered 100 large aircraft from comac. by 2031, the three major airlines will each introduce 100 large aircraft.

on august 28 this year, air china and china southern airlines simultaneously received their first c919 aircraft at the pudong base of the commercial aircraft corporation of china (comac) final assembly and manufacturing center, marking the entry of c919 into the list of the three major domestic aviation central enterprises and the start of a new stage of multi-user operation. among them, on august 29, china southern airlines' first c919 aircraft took off from shanghai pudong international airport and flew to guangzhou baiyun international airport as a transfer flight, and the first c919 aircraft was officially put into service. china eastern airlines' first c919 aircraft in the world completed its first commercial passenger flight in the world on may 28, 2023.

earlier, at the china southern airlines semi-annual performance briefing, the management of air china revealed that the first c919 aircraft of air china is expected to be put into commercial operation around september 10, and will fly the beijing-shanghai and beijing-hangzhou routes. in the future, it will be introduced dynamically in combination with the company's fleet planning and market conditions. at the china southern airlines semi-annual performance briefing, the management of china southern airlines stated that the first c919 of china southern airlines is expected to be put into commercial operation on september 19 this year, and the first commercial operation will be on the guangzhou-shanghai hongqiao route.

according to the semi-annual reports of the three major airlines this year, air china plans to introduce three c919s this year, and 10 in 2025 and 2026 respectively; china eastern airlines plans to introduce four c919s in the second half of this year, and 10 in 2025 and 2026 respectively. china southern airlines did not disclose its aircraft introduction plan in its semi-annual report.

earlier, the paper exclusively learned that 30 c919s are expected to roll off the assembly line this year, and the final assembly capacity is expected to reach 50 this year. in addition, it is expected that by 2027, the production capacity of c919 is expected to reach 150, and the number of roll-offs may exceed 100.

on january 24 this year, zhang yujin, deputy to the shanghai municipal people's congress and then member of the standing committee of the party committee and deputy general manager of commercial aircraft corporation of china, revealed in an exclusive interview with the paper at the shanghai two sessions that the production capacity of c919 is expected to continue to expand gradually and grow steadily this year, achieving "more, faster and better" production. at the same time, it is planned to invest several hundred billion yuan in expanding production capacity within three to five years. prior to this, at the shanghai two sessions last year, zhang yujin also exclusively revealed to the paper that the annual production capacity of c919 is expected to reach 150 within five years.