Inaugural passenger flight of the home-grown C919 is a milestone in China’s bid to challenge the Boeing-Airbus duopoly.

From Shanghai to Beijing and back, the journeys will mark the culmination of 14 years of home-grown development in China’s bid to compete with Boeing and Airbus.

Boeing CEO is hopeful China will resume buying workhorse jets like the 737 MAX to satisfy a market that is “exploding” at a time when aircraft factories are unable to keep up with booming sales.

Company chief executive Stanley Hui says he aims to open up new routes to places such as Manila and Ho Chi Minh City and boost flight frequencies to current destinations,

The procurement is a boost for Comac in helping China to fulfil President Xi Jinping’s aspiration to challenge the dominance of Boeing and Airbus in the home or even the global market.

First Greater Bay Airlines flight to Osaka from Hong Kong took off on Friday morning, with return leg set for 6pm.

Airbus and its US rival Boeing count China as a key aviation market, but the European aerospace firm is seen to have an advantage amid worsening trade relations between Beijing and Washington and the recent state visit by French President Emmanuel Macron.

The return of the 737 MAX to the skies in China is a positive sign for Boeing, which is taking steps to rebuild its business in the world’s second-largest aviation market.

Observers have attributed the plunge in US aviation exports to China over the past four years to ‘geopolitical differences’ and development of China’s home-grown C919 passenger jet.

The world’s fastest-growing aviation market aims to boost the number of its airports to 220 from the current 148, as forecasters predict passenger traffic will grow at a rate of nearly 7 per cent annually.

Trump had planned to adopt the colours of the American flag: red, white and dark blue. Biden’s upgrades will include a medical facility, a self-defence system and an executive interior, according to the US Air Force.

Fledgling airline, which has three aircraft at present, places order for 15 Boeing 737-9 planes and signed letter of intent to buy five of its 787 Dreamliners.

Agreement, estimated to be worth billions of Hong Kong dollars, aims to support airline’s international long-haul ambitions.

Passengers were reportedly left without food, the entertainment system was turned off and there were issues with the air conditioning.

The carrier has much to do before it re-emerges as a strong competitor, even with the 470 new aircraft it has on order, analysts say

Combined, the two mega deals constitute the largest unveiled at the same time by a commercial airline.

The C919 is China’s home-grown, narrow-body passenger jet designed to carry 158 to 192 passengers and compete with Boeing’s 737 and Airbus’ A320 entered commercial operation in May 2023.

Bilateral aviation-safety agreements exist between Chinese and Western aviation authorities to help certify the airworthiness of passenger jets, but there are more factors at play.

The United States is readying more than US$2 billion worth of military aid for Ukraine that is expected to include longer-range rockets for the first time.

Boeing was set to officially bid farewell to the original jumbo jet, the 747, as it makes its final commercial delivery of an aircraft that democratised flying and serves US presidents.

China’s C919 home-grown narrow-body passenger jet was built to compete with Boeing’s 737 and Airbus’ A320, and a Mercator Institute for China Studies report suggests its impact could spread beyond its home market.

The country’s first domestically made passenger jet will be fast-tracked to grab market share, vows Commercial Aviation Corporation of China, but Western restrictions on access to technology loom large.

While other countries have been resuming 737 MAX flights since 2020, China is the last major aviation market to give it the all-clear, having put a series of strict requirements in place.

Boeing once failed again to catch up with European rival Airbus in orders and aircraft deliveries. The US plane maker’s net order book in 2022 stood at 774, compared with 820 for Airbus.

Virgin Orbit, part-owned by billionaire Richard Branson, plans to use a modified Boeing 747 with a rocket attached beneath its wing; fewer than 10 nations currently send satellites into orbit from home soil.

Iranian forces shot down Ukraine International Airlines flight PS752 shortly after its take-off from Tehran on January 8, 2020, killing all 176 people aboard.