BEIJING: China's first domestically produced passenger jet, the C 919, took off on its first commercial flight on May 28 - a landmark event in the nation's decades-long effort to compete with Western rivals in the air.
China Eastern Airlines flight MU 9191 rose into the sky above Shanghai Hongqiao Airport just after 10.30am local time 10.30am Singapore time footage shows footage from state broadcaster CCTV.
The plane is carrying over 130 passengers to Beijing's capital International Airport, according to China Eastern Airlines flight MU 9191.
The flight is scheduled to land at its destination at about 1.10 p.m., according to the airline's website.
footage broadcast by state media shows dozens of passengers gathered at the sun-drenched Shanghai airfield to admire the sleek white jet.
They then filed into the narrow-body plane which taxied to the runway before taking off.
Passengers received red boarding passes and will receive a sumptuous themed meal to commemorate the flight, the airline said in a statement.
The company has invested heavily in the production of the homegrown jet as it seeks to become self-sufficient in key technologies.
Beijing is confident the C 919 will challenge popular international models such as the Boeing 737 MAX and the Airbus A 320.
COMAC, the state-owned Commercial Aviation Corp of China, manufactures the aircraft, but many of its components are imported from abroad.
From Monday, the C 919 will operate on China Eastern's regular route between Shanghai and Chengdu, CCTV said.
In the future, most passengers will be able to travel by large, domestically produced aircraft, CCTV said.
The first aircraft model of the narrow-body jet, which can seat 164 passengers, was formally delivered to China Eastern in December.
COMAC's deputy general manager, Zhang Yujin, told state-backed Shanghai outlet The Paper in January that the company had taken more than 1,200 orders for the C 919.
COMAC said it plans to increase annual production capacity to 150 models within five years.
Last month, Airbus announced that it would double its production capacity in China, with a deal to build a second final assembly line for the A 320 at a facility in Tianjin.
In 2008, the first assembly site in Pyongyang opened and generates four A 320 s per month, while Airbus hopes to increase that to six per month before the end of the year.