Success for China's C919: Airlines prepare to receive their first C919 aircraft

CGTN Europe

Air China and China Southern Airlines say they are ready to welcome their respective planes. This follows COMAC's earlier delivery of seven C919s to China Eastern Airlines.   Many observers say the dual deliveries demonstrate COMAC's confidence in achieving the mass production of China's homegrown jumbo passenger jet.   The two planes will soon fly to their operating bases in Beijing and Guangzhou where they will get ready to begin commercial services.   #China #Chinanews #aircraft #C919

Transcript

00:00Air China and China Southern Airlines will become the second and third Chinese carriers to fly China's homegrown C919 passenger jet.

00:09The two carriers took delivery of the aircraft at Chinese planemaker Comac's base in Shanghai.

00:15These are the eighth and ninth planes that Comac has delivered.

00:19China Eastern Airlines has already been flying seven of these aircrafts since May last year.

00:24Our reporter Yu Yang spoke to some of the pilots.

00:28Pre-flight inspections are routine for Captain Wang Yan, who checks the engines, pitot tubes and wheels before every flight.

00:37But this time is different, as this is Air China's first C919.

00:42The country's domestically produced large passenger jet.

00:46Currently, ten experienced pilots are working for Air China's C919 fleet.

00:51They have received a special training from Comac, the manufacturer of the aircraft, for about two months.

01:01It took us two months to acquire the endorsement for the C919.

01:05We began to learn how to fly the C919 on the 28th of May.

01:09The training includes ground lessons as well as cross-country training.

01:13Since this August, we've also started practicing airline flight operations by using Comac's prototype aircraft.

01:21Wang says the biggest challenge for his team in terms of piloting the C919 is their desire to excel.

01:27The training has required them to fly at least seven hours a day, followed by an hour of circuit training.

01:37I think the main reason for us to train so hard is the sense of responsibility.

01:41Safety is the top priority for us when operating the C919.

01:45The cabin crew shares this commitment.

01:48Two months ago, 40 flight attendants received specialized training at Comac on providing cabin services for C919 passengers.

02:01We have learned carefully about the characteristics of this type of aircraft.

02:05We've also trained in how to operate the hatch, the emergency equipment and other practices related to cabin safety.

02:13Our cabin crew feels very proud to participate in the flight efforts of the Air China's first C919.

02:21The maintenance engineers have also been busy preparing.

02:24Sun Lei, a maintenance engineer at Air China, explains the intense training they have undergone since last April.

02:35For our maintenance engineers, we actually started our training at Comac since last April.

02:40Those include the characteristics of the type of the C919, the engine run-up maintenance training, landing gear system maintenance training and more.

02:49We're ready to welcome the first flight of our first C919.

02:54Air China and China Southern Airlines say they are ready to welcome their respective planes.

02:59This follows Comac's earlier delivery of seven C919s to China Eastern Airlines.

03:06Many observers say the dual deliveries demonstrate Comac's confidence in achieving the mass production of China's homegrown Jumbo passenger jets.

03:16The two planes will soon fly to their operating bases in Beijing and Guangzhou where they will get ready to begin commercial services.

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