The first C919 jetliner takes off during a verification flight, Shanghai, China, January 1, 2023. /China Media Group
China Eastern Airlines (CEA)'s first C919 MU7809 made its maiden flight of 2023 at 8:30 a.m. on Sunday, flying from Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport to Beijing Daxing International Airport.
CEA carried out a 100-hour verification flight for its first C919 aircraft on December 26, 2022 to verify and confirm the aircraft's operation safety, paving the way for its commercial debut in spring of 2023.
The C919 MU7809 is the ninth plane to undertake the 100-hour verification flight.
The first C919 jetliner takes off during a verification flight, Shanghai, China, December 26, 2022. /CFP
Though the C919 has already been granted initial approval from the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC), CEA will still carry out verification flights without passengers to confirm operational safety, maintenance reliability and the various operational support capabilities of this new model.
The jetliner has to land in Beijing, Chengdu, Xi'an, Haikou, Qingdao, Wuhan, Nanchang and Jinan before returning to where it takes off. This routine will be repeated every day of the test flight process, along with the entire maintenance and boarding processes.
The first C919 jetliner takes off during a verification flight, Shanghai, China, December 26, 2022. /CFP
CEA signed a contract to buy five C919s in March 2021 in the first commercial deal for the plane.
The airline officially received its first C919 jet numbered B-919A on December 9. The remaining four aircraft will be delivered in succession in the next two years based on the supplier's production and delivery plan, according to Wang Jian, the board secretary of the CEA.
The C919 is China's first domestically-built large passenger aircraft developed by the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China. It was granted a certificate of airworthiness by the CAAC in late September.