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   TZUTC: 0200                     
   Airline China Eastern Airlines performed the first commercial flight on Sunday   
   with a C919 from the Chinese aircraft manufacturer Comac. The plane flew from   
   Shanghai to Beijing on Sunday morning.   
       
   There were more than 130 passengers on board. The aircraft is the Chinese   
   variant of the Boeing 737 and the Airbus A320, which means that Comac is   
   competing with American and European aircraft manufacturers.   
       
   Comac has been making airplanes for years, but until now has been a minor   
   player. The aircraft market for aircraft from about a hundred seats is divided   
   between Airbus and Boeing. The European manufacturer Airbus in particular has   
   been very active in the Chinese market in recent years because Boeing was more   
   affected by trade tensions between China and the United States and because the   
   American manufacturer had to ground the 737 MAX aircraft for a long time after   
   two crashes.   
       
   Comac has been developing the C919 since 2008 and presented the first   
   prototype of the aircraft in 2015. Although the C919 is made in China,   
   manufacturer Comac is dependent on Western companies for many parts, such as   
   the American General Electric and Honeywell and the French Safran.   
      
   --- DB4 - 20230201   
    * Origin: AVIATION ECHO HQ (2:292/854)   
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