C919 sign of technological breakthroughs

A model of the C919 jet is displayed at Airshow China 2014 in Zhuhai, Guangdong province, in November. [Photo/China Daily]

The first domestically designed and manufactured airliner, the C919, made its debut in Shanghai on Monday. Does that signify a breakthrough in domestic aviation technology? Comments:

The fact that they have accomplished a giant program like the C919 means that various sectors have cooperated with each other and made breakthroughs in their own fields, a sign of China's progress in related industries and the ability to coordinate among them. Besides, the C919 will help all these related industries prosper with robust demand, and break the long-term duopoly of foreign brands in the domestic market.

Beijing News, Nov 3

Many have said that the C919's engines are imported from overseas and domestic researchers and workers have done nothing except "make an outer case" for it. Actually, in the aviation industry it is also considered a core technology to assemble different parts and make them into a complete aircraft. Chinese researchers are making progress and increasingly more parts will be domestically manufactured.

Hu Bugui, a researcher at the University of Science and Technology of China, via Sina micro blog, Nov 3

China has one of the largest civil aviation markets, yet most of the planes serving customers in this country are made by Boeing or Airbus. China needs a domestically manufactured airliner to fulfill its dream. The C919 marks a big step forward to realizing the dream and we expect it to come true in the near future.

eastday.com, Nov 3

The C919 might have broken the duopoly of Boeing and Airbus in the Chinese market, but it is still far from obtaining the necessary certification to enter the European and US market. More efforts are needed to boost the domestic civil aviation industry.

Xinhua Daily Telegraph, Nov 3