Karachi: China Eastern Airlines, initial customer for country’s homegrown narrow-body jet C919 will launch plane’s first commercial flight on Sunday, carrier’s app showed. C919 flight will take off as flight number MU9191 from Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport and arrive in Beijing Capital Airport.

It will fly second time on Sunday afternoon back from Beijing to Shanghai, app also showed. Commercial operation of C919 marks milestone in country’s hopes that plane will break longtime Airbus-Boeing duopoly in world’s airline manufacturing industry.

Manufactured by Commercial Aviation Corp of China (COMAC) to rival Airbus A320neo and Boeing 737 MAX single-aisle jet families, C919 has made many flights without passengers.

Airline and manufacturer have given its first commercial flight little publicity. But speculation that flight would happen on Sunday arose on Chinese social media after Shanghai Stamp Collecting Corporation released photo of commemorative stamp for C919 flight that bore May 28.

China Eastern has not said who will fly on flight and did not respond to Reuters requests for comment on Friday. Online users said airline opened an appointment channel earlier this year on its app for public to book tickets.

Published in The Daily National Courier, May, 27 2023

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