SHANGHAI: The first large made-in-China passenger plane successfully completed its maiden test flight on Friday, marking a key milestone on the country’s ambitious journey to compete with the world’s leading aircraft makers.
The narrow-body C919 jet — white with green and blue stripes — disappeared into the clouds after taking off from Pudong International Airport (PIA) in the commercial hub Shanghai as a crowd of thousands cheered, including top officials.
It successfully landed some 80 minutes later and the five-member crew was handed flowers, with captain Cai Jun describing the flight as “very satisfactory.”
Built by state-owned aerospace manufacturer Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC), the plane represents nearly a decade of effort in a government-mandated drive to reduce dependence on European consortium Airbus and US aerospace giant Boeing.
“China’s big commercial jet project made a huge breakthrough. It is a major milestone in China’s aviation market,” China’s State Council said in a statement.
State media said the plane flew at an altitude of around 3,000 meters (9,800 feet), some 7,000 meters lower than a regular trip and at a speed of more than 300 kilometers (186 miles) per hour.
While delayed since last year, the flight is the latest sign of China’s growing ambition and technical skill, coming one week after the country launched its first domestically made aircraft carrier and docked a cargo spacecraft with an orbiting space lab.
China has dreamed of building its own civil aircraft since the 1970s when it began work on the narrow-body Y-10, which was eventually deemed unviable and never entered service.
President Xi Jinping himself has endorsed the new project. China is a massive battleground for Boeing and Airbus, with the country’s travel market expected to surpass the US by 2024, according to the International Air Transport Association (IATA).
Airbus and Boeing estimate that Chinese airlines will need between 6,000-6,800 aircraft at a total price of around $1 trillion.
Both companies congratulated COMAC on the flight.
The twin-engine C919, whose name sounds like the Chinese word for “everlasting,” can seat 168 passengers in an arrangement similar to other narrow-body jets: Three white-velvet upholstered seats line each side of its central aisle.
It has a range of 5,555km and has received 570 orders, almost all from domestic airlines.
COMAC made two planes for the test flight and it expects to produce four more by 2019, said Bao Pengli, deputy head of Shanghai Aircraft Manufacturing Co. (SAMC), COMAC’s production arm.
The Shanghai-based firm aims to become one of the world’s leading civil aircraft manufacturer in the next three years, seeking to have the C919 and its ARJ21, a smaller 90-seat regional jet, both certified to fly internationally.
But it will be some time before the C919 is ready to compete with the top-selling products of the world’s aviation giants, said Bao.
“The biggest challenge is that the whole manufacturing experience still needs improvement because this is the first time China is making a primary route plane,” Bao said.
The C919 will need to pass more tests to obtain Chinese airworthiness certification and COMAC hopes to get the green light from the US and European regulators.
The ARJ21 plane, which entered service in 2016, several years late, is currently restricted to flying domestic routes as it still lacks the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) certification.
Another challenge for the C919 is earning consumers’ trust, said Shukor Yusof, an analyst with Malaysia-based aviation consultancy Endau Analytics.
“It will take some time for customers around the world to be comfortable buying Chinese airplanes,” he said, adding: “It is not going to happen in the next 10 years.”
“It is going to be incredibly tough not because it is not a good product. But because you need to get comfort and credibility to the product among potential clients, potential customers.”
China’s homemade passenger jet aces first flight
China’s homemade passenger jet aces first flight
Al Habtoor Group to take legal measures against Lebanon over $1.7bn investment losses
RIYADH: Al Habtoor Group said it will move forward with legal action against Lebanon after years of unresolved investment disputes and mounting losses of $1.7 billon linked to banking restrictions and state inaction, according to an official statement.
The UAE-based conglomerate said it has been a long-term foreign investor in Lebanon, with investments across hospitality, luxury hotels, and retail, as well as leisure, real estate and banking-related activities, describing these as “an integral part of the Group’s long-term productive presence in the country.”
The firm said measures taken by the country’s goverment, combined with Lebanon’s prolonged political, economic, financial, and social crises, have caused the damages and losses.
The company said its investments were made “in good faith and in reliance on Lebanese law,” as well as on obligations set out under the bilateral investment treaty between the UAE and Lebanon, in force since 1999.
According to the statement, the group’s assets in Lebanon have suffered “severe and sustained harm” as a result of measures imposed by Lebanese authorities and the Banque du Liban that prevented it from accessing and transferring lawfully deposited funds.
“These enormous losses are not limited to the unlawful deprivation of access to the Group’s funds in the Lebanese banks, but also arise from the broader collapse of institutional stability and the failure of the Lebanese government to take timely and necessary measures to protect foreign investments and private properties,” the statement said.
Al Habtoor Group said the obligation to safeguard investments and compensate for losses “is not a matter of discretion or goodwill, but rather a legal obligation arising under binding bilateral agreements and international investment treaties concluded with the United Arab Emirates.” It added that these treaties impose “clear duties on Lebanon to ensure protection, fair treatment, and effective remedies for investors.”
In early January 2024, the group said it formally notified the Lebanese government of an investment dispute through an international law firm specializing in sovereign and treaty-based cases, triggering the six-month cooling-off period prescribed under the bilateral treaty. The objective, the company said, was to reach an amicable resolution.
However, the statement said that “despite sustained good-faith efforts and extensive institutional engagement,” no meaningful progress or corrective action was taken by the relevant authorities.
“Investor protection is not discretionary, it is a fundamental obligation under international law and a prerequisite for economic credibility and stability,” the statement said.
While the group said it remains open to “lawful and constructive solutions that restore its rights in full,” it added that it “cannot and will not continue to absorb additional losses arising from prolonged inaction, negligence and systemic failure.”
As a result, the company said it has exhausted all reasonable efforts to resolve the dispute amicably and “has no other alternative but to advance this matter further and proceed to take all legal measures necessary to protect and enforce its rights under applicable international agreements and legal frameworks.”
Al Habtoor Group is one of the largest conglomerates in the UAE, with operations spanning hospitality, automotive, real estate and education.
The legal escalation outlined in the group’s latest statement follows a series of public warnings made by Al Habtoor Group and its chairman in late 2023, when the company signaled it was prepared to withdraw entirely from Lebanon if protections for foreign investors were not restored.
In a December 2023 interview with Arab News, chairman Khalaf Al-Habtoor said the group was prepared to pursue international legal remedies, stating that it was ready to enlist “high-caliber law firms overseas” to recover assets affected by banking restrictions and the broader economic collapse.
He warned that continued inaction by the Lebanese authorities would leave the group with limited options, adding: “If I find a buyer now for everything I invested there with a negotiable price, I will sell it.”
At the time, Al-Habtoor said the group’s direct investments in Lebanon exceeded $1 billion, with a further $500 million in indirect exposure, but noted that the current value of those investments had been severely eroded.
He also highlighted the human cost of the crisis, citing approximately 500 employees in Lebanon and explaining the decision to keep hotel operations running despite losses
