Explainer | China’s C919 timeline 2008-23: first commercial flight 15 years in the making
- The Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (Comac) was formed in 2008 to develop the C919 narrow-body passenger jet
- The C919 was formally put into service with its maiden commercial flight in May 2023
02:34
Why it took China’s home-grown C919 plane 15 years to start flying passengers
The Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (Comac) was formed in 2008 to develop the C919 narrow-body passenger jet, which eventually completed its maiden commercial flight in May 2023.
But how did it take 15 years for the C919 to take the two-hour commercial flight from Shanghai to Beijing?
May 2008: Comac formed
China forms the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (Comac) in Shanghai.
January 2009: Comac to develop C919
Comac announces it will develop the C919 narrow-body passenger jet. State media reports the C919 is expected to have its maiden flight in 2014 and will be delivered to airlines in 2016.
September 2009: Comac unveils C919
Comac unveils a model of the C919 aircraft for the first time at the Asian Aerospace Expo in Hong Kong.
December 2009: Comac confirms C919 engine supplier
CFM International, a joint venture between GE Aviation from the United States and France’s Safran Aircraft Engines, is selected by Comac to supply the LEAP engine to the C919.
December 2010: CAAC accepts application for C919 type certificate
The Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) accepts Comac’s application for a type certificate – the airworthiness of an aircraft design – for the C919.
November 2012: C919 development going according to plan, Comac says
Comac says at the Zhuhai air show that the development of C919 is going according to plan. It also says it has received 380 orders.
October 2013: C919’s maiden flight delayed
Local media report the C919’s maiden flight will be delayed by a year until 2015, pushing the first delivery dates to around 2017 or 2018.
September 2014: Comac begins C919 assembly
May 2015: C919 delays
Reuters reports that the C919 would have to delay its maiden flight for a year and that it will also have to postpone its first delivery for two years.
July 2015: First C919 engine delivered
CFM International delivers the first LEAP engine for the C919 in Shanghai.
November 2015: Comac unveils C919
November 2016: China Eastern Airlines to be first C919 customer
May 2017: Maiden C919 flight
October 2017: FAA and CAAC agree to recognise regulatory systems
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and CAAC agree to recognise each other’s regulatory systems with respect to the airworthiness of aviation products and articles.
01:07
Three more Chinese C919 passenger jets to start test flights by late 2019
February 2020: Trump supports sales of hi-tech products to China
US President Donald Trump says that he will support sales of hi-tech products to China after media reports suggested Washington may block the export of the LEAP engine to Comac.
January 2021: Comac blacklisted
US government includes Comac on a military blacklist, banning US investment.
01:48
C919 takes off: China shows off its first home-grown passenger jet
March 2021: China Eastern Airlines orders 5 C919s
China Eastern Airlines signs a firm order for five C919s.
June 2021: US, EU agree subsidies truce
The US and the European Union agree to a truce in their near 17-year conflict over aircraft subsidies to Boeing and Airbus and to set up a working group to address “non-market practices” in other countries, most notably China.
November 2021: Comac removed from US blacklist
Biden administration adjusts its military blacklist to remove Comac.
September 2022: C919 receives a type certificate
01:05
China’s first home-grown passenger jet is certified to fly after 5 years of tests
November 2022: Comac secures orders for 300 C919s
December 2022: Comac delivers first C919 jet to China Eastern Airlines
03:01
China’s C919 passenger jet completes maiden commercial flight from Shanghai to Beijing
May 2023: C919 completes its first commercial flight
June 2023: Comac delivers second C919 jet to China Eastern Airlines
Comac delivers the second C919 jet to China Eastern Airlines in Shanghai.
