Chinese Competition To Boeing 737, Airbus A320 Marks First Flight

China's C919 passenger jet, manufactured by Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC), flew for the first time today.

The plane is seen as competition to Boeing 737 and Airbus A320 passenger jets in the most popular single aisle segment.

The C919 passenger jet soared over Pudong international airport in the commercial hub Shanghai, various local media reported Friday.

Chinese government has been making efforts to reduce dependence on European consortium Airbus and US aerospace giant Boeing. The flight follows a week after the country launched its first domestically made aircraft carrier and docked a cargo spacecraft with an orbiting space lab.

The plane took off at 2:00 pm (0600 GMT) and was expected to fly for an hour and a half.

However, the C919 will need to pass more tests to obtain Chinese airworthiness certification. The Shanghai-based company is also aiming to have the plane certified by US and European regulators.

COMAC´s smaller, 90-seat ARJ21 plane, which entered service in 2016, several years late, is currently restricted to flying domestic routes as it still lacks the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) certification that would allow it to fly US skies.