<strong>Comac C919:</strong> The Comac C919 is China's first medium-haul passenger jet aircraft.
Comac C919: The Comac C919 is China's first medium-haul passenger jet aircraft.
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<strong>Taking on the big boys: </strong>The aircraft will be a direct competitor to the Boeing B737 and Airbus A320.
Taking on the big boys: The aircraft will be a direct competitor to the Boeing B737 and Airbus A320.
Courtesy Comac
<strong>Competitors:</strong> Like the B737 and A320, it's a single-aisle, twin-engined aircraft with a seating capacity for up to 180 passengers.
Competitors: Like the B737 and A320, it's a single-aisle, twin-engined aircraft with a seating capacity for up to 180 passengers.
Courtesy Comac
<strong>International jet-setter:</strong> "The COMAC C919 is designed to be an 'international airliner with Chinese characteristics,'" says Cristiano Ceccato of Zaha Hadid Architects.
International jet-setter: "The COMAC C919 is designed to be an 'international airliner with Chinese characteristics,'" says Cristiano Ceccato of Zaha Hadid Architects.
Courtesy Comac
<strong>Testing:</strong> This photo from 2013 shows Comac's "iron bird" test platform, a plane-like fuselage simulator, in a hangar at the COMAC Shanghai Aircraft Design and Research Institute.
Testing: This photo from 2013 shows Comac's "iron bird" test platform, a plane-like fuselage simulator, in a hangar at the COMAC Shanghai Aircraft Design and Research Institute.
VCG via Getty Images
<strong>Maiden flight: </strong>Spectators watch the Comac C919 come in to land on its maiden flight at Shanghai's Pudong airport on May 5, 2017.
Maiden flight: Spectators watch the Comac C919 come in to land on its maiden flight at Shanghai's Pudong airport on May 5, 2017.
GREG BAKER/AFP via Getty Images
<strong>Flight testing: </strong>Test pilots emerging from the craft. Comac has built a fleet of six prototype versions of the C919 that have been pacing through a flight testing regime.
Flight testing: Test pilots emerging from the craft. Comac has built a fleet of six prototype versions of the C919 that have been pacing through a flight testing regime.
Courtesy Comac
<strong>Comac crew:</strong> Although the test aircraft are clocking up the air miles, no official date for the first entry into passenger service of the C919 has yet been announced.
Comac crew: Although the test aircraft are clocking up the air miles, no official date for the first entry into passenger service of the C919 has yet been announced.
Courtesy Comac
<strong>Engine: </strong>The C919's LEAP-1C engines are being produced by CFM, a joint venture between US engine-maker GE Aviation and Safran.
Engine: The C919's LEAP-1C engines are being produced by CFM, a joint venture between US engine-maker GE Aviation and Safran.
Courtesy Safran
<strong>Green credentials: </strong>The CFM LEAP-1C engine offers "a 15% reduction in fuel consumption and CO2 emissions versus current engines, and up to a 50% margin on NOx emissions," says Safran.
Green credentials: The CFM LEAP-1C engine offers "a 15% reduction in fuel consumption and CO2 emissions versus current engines, and up to a 50% margin on NOx emissions," says Safran.
Courtesy Safran