China displayed its aircraft-manufacturing credentials by conducting a flyby of Hong Kong’s Victoria Harbour with a domestically made passenger plane designed to take on Airbus SE and Boeing Co. narrowbodies.
Commercial Aircraft Corp of China Ltd., the official name of planemaker Comac, flew its C919 jet around the harbor in two loops on Saturday morning, going as low as 700 feet (213 meters), according to FlightRadar24’s live data.
The last major new aircraft to do a low-altitude Victoria Harbour flyby was an Airbus SE A380 in 2007.
Comac says it has received 1,061 orders for its C919. Only three are operating commercially so far, domestically in China. The state-run company also showcased its smaller ARJ-21 aircraft in Hong Kong during the week.
Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu also uploaded on Facebook a photo of the C919 jet flying over Victoria Harbour, saying he was thrilled to have captured the great moment.
Lee also reminded the public to actively participate in the C919 Aircraft Flight Demonstration in Hong Kong Photo Competition, jointly organized with the Airport Authority.
The Transport and Logistics Bureau said minister Lam Sai-hung couldn’t attend the demonstration in person due to other duties.
Still, Lam noticed many citizens had been waiting at the two fronts of Victoria Harbour early morning for the perfect spot to take photos, and said he was as excited as the public.
(Bloomberg and staff reporter)
