China has entered the business of making planes. The first Chinese-made commercial (商业的) aircraft took off from Shanghai on Sunday. The narrow-bodied C919 plane had 128 passengers on board.
The company that made the plane is known as the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China Ltd. Newspapers in China called the C919 "a symbol of industrial prowess (工业造诣) and national pride".
A passenger on the flight was impressed with the plane. He said, " It was comfortable and unforgettable. I'll remember it for a long time."
COMAC hopes to be a major player in the commercial plane market. It hopes to compete with industry giants such as Boeing and Airbus. COMAC started developing the C919 in 2008 in China. In September 2022, it passed the standards to fly commercially in China.
It bought five of the aircraft. COMAC plans to build 150 planes each year for the next five years. A spokesperson said there were orders for more than 1,000 C919s from different Chinese airlines. He hoped airlines from other countries would soon start making orders. He added that the plane was "an important milestone (里程碑)" for China's aircraft industry.
A. The flight was quite smooth.
B. Production began in late 2011.
C. This is shortened to "COMAC".
D. More and more C919 planes will be made.
E. Two hours later, it landed at Beijing Capital Airport.
F. COMAC's first customer was China Eastern Airlines.
