C919 soars on a new route! China's large aircraft's soaring journey

Author: Duan Yuechu and Huang Xianghong

Under the vast blue sky, China's aviation industry has reached a remarkable milestone. On August 5, 2024, the C919 launched a new route, and China Eastern Airlines started a new journey between Xi'an and Xianyang and Beijing and Daxing with this domestically-made large aircraft.

C919, this name not only represents an aircraft, but also symbolizes the rise and innovation of China's aviation industry. Since it successfully achieved commercial operation on May 28, 2023, it has been like a bright new star, shining with unique light in the aviation field. Today, the size of China Eastern Airlines' C919 fleet has grown to 7 aircraft. Behind this number is the hard work and wisdom of countless scientific researchers, engineers and staff.

Let's first take a closer look at this new route. China Eastern Airlines C919's flight number for Xi'an Xianyang-Beijing Daxing is MU2113, which takes off from Xi'an Xianyang International Airport at 16:00 every day and is expected to arrive at Beijing Daxing International Airport at 17:40. The return flight number is MU2120, which takes off from Beijing Daxing International Airport at 20:00 every day and is expected to arrive at Xi'an Xianyang International Airport at 22:20. Such precise flight arrangements provide more choices and convenience for passengers traveling between the two places.

The significance of C919's new flight route is far more than just adding a new transportation route. It marks the continuous expansion and deepening of China's independently developed large aircraft in the field of commercial operations. Previously, C919 has successfully operated routes such as Shanghai Hongqiao-Chengdu Tianfu, Shanghai Hongqiao-Beijing Daxing, Shanghai Hongqiao-Xi'an Xianyang, and Shanghai Hongqiao-Guangzhou Baiyun. The opening of each route has accumulated valuable operating experience and laid a solid foundation for the opening of more routes in the future.

In the past period of time, as of August 3 this year, China Eastern Airlines' C919 fleet has carried out a total of 3,133 commercial flights and nearly 420,000 passengers. This set of figures vividly shows the active performance and popularity of C919 in commercial operations. Passengers are full of expectations and pride in being able to travel on a domestically produced large aircraft, which also reflects the remarkable achievements of C919 in terms of comfort and safety.

C919 has many highlights in terms of technical performance and parameter configuration. Its basic hybrid class layout has 158 seats, the full economy class layout has 168 seats, and the high-density layout has 192 seats. The aircraft has a total length of 38.9 meters, a wingspan of 35.8 meters, and a height of 11.95 meters. C919 adopts an advanced supercritical wing design, which can effectively reduce flight resistance and improve flight efficiency. Its advanced avionics system integrates a large number of sensors and computers, which can achieve precise flight control and navigation.

In terms of power system, C919 is equipped with internationally advanced engines, which have the advantages of high thrust, low fuel consumption and low noise, etc. Its flight speed can reach 0.785 Mach, its practical ceiling is 12,100 meters, and its maximum range exceeds 5,500 kilometers.

From an economic perspective, the commercial operation of C919 plays an important role in promoting the development of China's aviation industry. It can not only drive the development of related industrial chains and promote collaborative innovation among upstream and downstream enterprises, but also reduce the dependence of domestic airlines on imported aircraft, save foreign exchange expenditures, and improve my country's competitiveness in the international aviation market.

In addition, the success of C919 has also cultivated a large number of high-quality aviation talents for China. From aircraft design, manufacturing, flight testing to operation management and maintenance support, a group of professional and experienced talents have emerged in various fields. They will become the mainstay of the future development of China's aviation industry and provide solid talent support for China's transformation from an aviation power to an aviation power.

In terms of environmental protection, C919 has also made positive contributions. As the world pays more and more attention to environmental protection, the aviation industry is also constantly seeking a greener and low-carbon development model. During the design and operation of C919, we focused on energy conservation and emission reduction, and adopted a series of environmental protection technologies and measures to reduce the aircraft's carbon emissions and impact on the environment.

The main differences between C919 and Y-20 are as follows:

Different uses:

The C919 is a civil airliner, primarily used for passenger services, focusing on commercial operations and providing passengers with a comfortable travel experience.

The Y-20 is a military transport aircraft used for military transport missions, such as transporting personnel, equipment and supplies.

Different design focuses:

C919 focuses on comfort, economy and environmental protection, and is optimized in terms of cabin design, fuel efficiency, etc. to meet the needs and standards of the civil aviation market.

The Y-20 places more emphasis on carrying capacity, short take-off and landing performance, adaptability to complex environments and battlefield survivability, in order to meet the various requirements of military transportation.

Different shapes and sizes:

The Y-20 is larger in size, has a sturdy fuselage, a larger cargo hold space and a stronger load-carrying capacity.

The C919 is relatively slender and focuses on aerodynamic design to improve flight efficiency and reduce operating costs.

Different technical performance indicators:

The C919's flight speed, range and other indicators are mainly designed to meet the needs of civil passenger routes.

The flight speed, range, take-off and landing performance of the Y-20 are set according to the characteristics and requirements of military missions.

Different application areas and operating environments:

The C919 primarily operates in the civil aviation field and follows civil aviation rules and standards.

The Y-20 plays a role in the military field and faces the demands and environment of military operations and strategic deployment.

With the continuous advancement of technology and the continuous growth of market demand, it is believed that it will continue to expand its route network, optimize its operating model, and bring more passengers a convenient and comfortable travel experience. At the same time, the success of C919 will also inspire China's aviation industry to continue to innovate, launch more advanced models with independent intellectual property rights, and contribute China's strength to the development of the global aviation industry.

In short, the C919's new route is an important milestone in the development of China's aviation industry, which indicates that China's large aircraft are flying higher and farther on the road of commercial operation. Let us look forward to C919 creating more brilliance in the future and make unremitting efforts to realize the Chinese nation's dream of becoming an aviation power!