China has demonstrated its first national aircraft with the motive to reduce China’s dependency on the use of foreign technology, competing with Airbus and Boeing. China Eastern Airlines, the first commercial airline of China, is ready to add 1000 new Comac C919 airplanes to its fleet before 2021. More than $72 billion in state support has been received to set this operation. With the dominance of Airbus and Boeing in the aviation market, China’s aircraft manufacturer Comac has come in between this rivalry as part of the “Made in China 2025” strategy of the Chinese government. The company has been examining C919 passenger aircraft for short air trips and C929 for long-distance travel.
China’s first big jetliner COMAC C919 to fly for first time tomorrow
National airlines are always linked up with any country’s prestige and status. China Eastern Airlines is a 3star airline, ranked by its service quality, cleanliness, seating quality, and capacity, which is on par with EasyJet and American Airlines. Although being low-cost, this airline has unbeatable prices. Both Chinese and western meals are offered. However, Christine Ka’aloa, a travel blogger, shared her experience with the airline, saying that Chinese brands catered to Chinese customers and treated them like second-class passengers. The flight attendants use limited standard English phrases though they understand some.
China Eastern Airlines
Founded in 1988, China Eastern Airlines operates its flight to nearly 250 routes. It offers air services to 7 routes across America, which includes Chicago, Honolulu, Anchorage. China Eastern Air Holding invested over 4.6 billion into the airline last autumn. The company owns its VIP lounge at Shanghai Pudong International Airport.
China’s tourism industry is recovering locally. The air travel demand has reached beyond the pre-pandemic level for this airline this spring, among which Shanghai and Beijing routes are the most demanded ones.
The question is still raises for non-Chinese travelers if they are safe on Chinese-made aircraft. It’s yet to be known how China will be perceived post-pandemic. As China’s been attributed to the Coronavirus spread, it might not be the most demanded destination for American travelers.
