China's first domestically produced jet airliner went into revenue service on Sunday although it's a stretch to call it a Chinese aircraft. The China Eastern Airlines C919 launched from Shanghai Honqiao Airport with about 130 passengers (it seats 164) for Chengdu and will be assigned to that route. Government officials and state-run media all gushed over the accomplishment with confident predictions of a bright future for indigenous airliners in a market that is served entirely by Boeing and Airbus now. “In the future, most passengers will be able to choose to travel by large, domestically produced aircraft,” state broadcaster CCTV said.
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