HONG KONG: China’s first domestically produced large passenger jet will conduct a flyby over Hong Kong’s Victoria Harbour next week as part of the aircraft’s first showcase outside the mainland.
The C919 made its maiden commercial flight in May and is key to Beijing’s decades-long ambitions to compete with Western rivals in the air and cut down China’s reliance on foreign technology.
The jet, manufactured by the state-owned Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC), also will be displayed at the Hong Kong International Airport from Dec 12 to Dec 17, city leader John Lee announced on Tuesday (Dec 5).
“On Dec 16, the C919 will conduct a flyby above the Victoria Harbour. The public can together witness the first time the C919 soars above Hong Kong,” Lee said in his weekly meeting with reporters.
Beijing “chose Hong Kong to be the first city for the C919 to visit outside the mainland”, he added.
COMAC’s smaller, older ARJ21 jet will also be exhibited in Hong Kong during the six-day period.
Source: CNA
