China's homegrown C919 aircraft marks 3rd delivery anniversary with 1,200 global orders

China's domestically developed large passenger aircraft, the C919, has received 1,200 orders globally, as Tuesday marks its third anniversary since delivery to its first customer, China Eastern Airlines.

By November this year, the aircraft had handled more than 2 million passenger trips, reaching over 40,000 safe operating hours.

The C919 project was launched in 2007 and has undergone a long journey of design, manufacture, flight tests, and eventual commercialization.

Data released by the Chinese government shows that more than 300,000 people from over 1,000 enterprises, universities and institutions in 20 provinces have participated in the development of the C919, achieving many historic breakthroughs.

In November 2015, the first C919 aircraft rolled off the production line in Shanghai. In 2017, the plane conducted a successful maiden flight.

In the following years, the plane carried out various flight tests in different locations and environments to comprehensively verify its safety, reliability and performance.

In September 2022, the C919 received its type certificate from the Civil Aviation Administration of China, marking a key step toward commercial operations.

China Eastern Airlines received the first C919 aircraft delivered worldwide on Dec 9, 2022. It is the first time in China's civil aviation transport market for an indigenously developed mainline jetliner. China Eastern Airlines began commercial operation of the C919 on May 28, 2023.

The aircraft reflects the country's growing capabilities in the global aviation manufacturing industry.

"I felt quite different piloting China's homegrown C919 jet for the first time. Because the aircraft has used many new technologies, such as a new flight control system and the Fly-by-Wire system. It can provide more intuitive feedback to our pilots (making it easier for us to operate the aircraft)," said Lu Ling, pilot with China Southern Airlines' branch in central China's Hunan Province.

"Since the C919 made its maiden flight in China's central Hunan Province, as of November 30, it has completed 952 flights, carrying more than 117,000 passengers," said Du Haibo, deputy general manager of the Hunan branch of China Southern Airlines.

Three of China's major airlines are currently operating the C919, with flying routes linking dozens of major Chinese cities, including Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou.

A report released by the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China -- developer of the C919 -- shows that by 2043, China's civil aviation fleet will reach over 10,000 aircraft, accounting for 20.6 percent of the global passenger aircraft fleet.

By 2041, China is expected to be the world's largest single-country civil aviation market, said the forecast.

China's homegrown C919 aircraft marks 3rd delivery anniversary with 1,200 global orders

The United States is experiencing a sharp and sustained slump in international tourism, as political rhetoric, tougher immigration policies, tariffs, and travel bans combine to erode the country's image as a welcoming destination.

Tourism Economics, a travel research firm, projected a steep 8.2 percent fall in international arrivals into the U.S. for 2025, with total inbound spending expected to decline by 4.2 percent -- a loss of 8.3 billion U.S. dollars in visitor spending.

Tariffs had already driven up costs and created uncertainty around imported goods, and the latest slump in international travel is making it even harder for local businesses to stay afloat. The situation has fueled fears of further job cuts in hotels, gift shops and dining businesses.

Restaurants, even in some of Los Angeles' most popular districts, are struggling to cope with rising operating costs and fewer foreign tourists.

"We hope that the tariffs are just temporary. It seems like it's this game that's being played right now, and unfortunately there are real life ramifications from this game. We are holding tight, just because we don't know what's gonna happen," said Pierro Sanchez, general manager of a restaurant named Baja Cantina.

The weakening outlook has been compounded by more complicated visa procedures and heightened policy uncertainty, reinforcing concerns that the United States is becoming harder and less inviting to visit.

Hicham Jaddoud, a professor of Hospitality and Tourism at the Bovard College of the University of Southern California, said many travelers now choose other destinations as the country's image has been undermined.

"We do have a PR problem, mainly from the tourism and hospitality area, where we struggle with the U.S. image right now. A lot of consumers have moved to different destinations," he said.

The professor added that cities like Los Angeles, Las Vegas, and Miami are among the hardest hit, forcing local tourism sector to redirect marketing away from global travelers toward domestic visitors.

"They can't rely on international tourism, advertising or marketing dollars have shifted from international to local, and we don't know how long that is going to last. And we all know about how some Canadians are refusing to come here, even if things go back to normal, they are refusing to come back here," he said.

US tourism slumps as policies tighten, image worsens