THE MADE IN CHINA PLANE - CONTROVERSIAL COMAC 919 to CHENGDU!

Video from the channel Josh Cahill about COMAC, linked on its Above Ten Thousand entry. Duration: 17:02. Language: English. Video type: Onboard.

Account of a business-class flight with China Eastern Airlines aboard a COMAC C919 between Shanghai Hongqiao Airport and Chengdu Tianfu Airport, published in December 2023, when that airline was the model's only operator. The account covers check-in and the VIP lounge, the bus transfer to a remote stand, take-off, the in-flight meal, the lavatory and the arrival.

The business cabin has eight seats in a 2-2 layout, and economy has 156 in 3-3. The author finds the interior indistinguishable from an Airbus or a Boeing, and the exterior reminds him of the A320; during the climb he notes how quiet the aircraft is. The service includes hot towels and a dessert decorated with the aircraft's logo. The author raffles off a safety card from the first C919 delivered among his viewers.

The video notes that the C919 still depends on foreign components (engines, avionics, landing gear and tyres), while the fuselage is manufactured in China. It cites a list price of around 90 million dollars, below the A320 and the 737 MAX, and more than a thousand orders. It also mentions a stretched version in development to compete with the A321 and a future wide-body aircraft, the 929.