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, 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?
China forms the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (Comac) in Shanghai.
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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.
Comac unveils a model of the C919 aircraft for the first time at the Asian Aerospace Expo in Hong Kong.
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.
The Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) accepts Comac's application for a type certificate - the airworthiness of an aircraft design - for the C919.
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.
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.
Comac begins the assembly of the C919 at its Pudong base.
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.
CFM International delivers the first LEAP engine for the C919 in Shanghai.
Comac unveils the C919 for the first time in a ceremony attended by some 4,000 government officials and guests at a hangar near Shanghai's Pudong International Airport.
Shanghai-based China Eastern Airlines announces at the Zhuhai air show that it will be the first C919 customer.
C919 makes its maiden flight in Shanghai.
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.
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.
US government includes Comac on a military blacklist, banning US investment.
China Eastern Airlines signs a firm order for five C919s.
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.
Biden administration adjusts its military blacklist to remove Comac.
C919 receives a type certificate from CAAC.
Comac says it has secured orders from seven leasing firms for 300 C919.
Comac delivers the first C919 jet to China Eastern Airlines in Shanghai and it begins a reported 100 hours of test flights.
Bearing the symbolic number MU9191, the flight operated by China Eastern Airlines and carrying more than 130 passengers travels between Shanghai and Beijing.
This article originally appeared on the South China Morning Post (SCMP).
Copyright (c) 2023. South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.
