China-made C919 passenger jet to conduct Hong Kong harbor flyby

China’s domestically manufactured Comac C919 aircraft will fly outside the mainland for the first time next week and head to Hong Kong, where it will conduct a low-altitude flyby over the city’s Victoria Harbour on Dec. 16.

The C919, a single-aisle jet that has similar passenger capacity to narrowbody planes produced by Boeing Co. and Airbus SE, will go on display at Hong Kong International Airport during the trip, Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee said Tuesday. It will be joined by an ARJ-21 regional jet.

Both aircraft are made by Commercial Aircraft Corp of China Ltd., known as Comac, which is raising its profile as it seeks international customers for its flagship C919. The Shanghai-based planemaker unveiled longer and shorter versions of the plane in November. 

The C919 has been a long-running project, dogged by delays due to testing and production snags after Comac started development in 2008. It took until last year for it to receive official certification to fly. 

While the ARJ-21 also operates in Indonesia, the C919 has yet to secure an international customer. Orders from Chinese carriers have climbed above 1,000, though they will take several years to deliver. 

China Eastern Airlines Corp., the first C919 customer and main buyer, placed a further order for 100 C919s in September.

Airbus’s A380 was the last major new aircraft to conduct a low-altitude flyby of Victoria Harbour, in 2007.