China certifies homegrown C919 jet to compete with Boeing, Airbus

Chinese regulators have approved the country’s first domestically produced large passenger jet, local media said, with Beijing hoping the plane will challenge foreign models such as the Boeing 737 MAX and Airbus A320.

The C919 narrow-body jet, built by state-owned Commercial Aircraft Corp of China (COMAC), was certified at Beijing Capital Airport in an official ceremony Thursday, according to reports and social media pictures.

The aircraft is China’s attempt to make a jetliner with mass commercial potential, which would lessen reliance on foreign technology — although most of the C919’s parts come from overseas suppliers.