Editorial | China’s aviation sector to aim higher after the C919
- Visit of China’s first home-made passenger jet to Hong Kong marks merely the first step for country’s plane-making industry
Air travel has long since been overtaken by international space exploration, but low-level fly-pasts over Victoria Harbour by China’s first home-made passenger jet at the weekend showcased progress towards what would still be one of the country’s greatest achievements – a fully independent aircraft industry.
Hundreds of Hongkongers gathered at the harbour to see the flyover at 1,000 feet, after the aircraft had been showcased for five days for visitors at Hong Kong International Airport.
This came six months after the C919 single-aisle, narrow-bodied plane completed its first commercial flight, from Shanghai to Beijing with 130 passengers, marking the emergence of a rival for the American Boeing 737 and the European Airbus A320, the workhorses of global passenger traffic.
The manufacturer, the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (Comac), is now seen as a future competitor with the big two for deals in the international market.
That will be part of the “Chinese dream” come true. But a lot will depend on the record of the C919 in the home market, which will be closely watched.
