The C919 is China’s answer to the A320. But what is it like onboard?

Beijing CNN —

I have flown more than a million miles with dozens of airlines around the world – and have lost count of how many times I’ve hopped on an Air China plane for the short trip from Beijing to Shanghai.

During the week, airlines schedule more than 60 flights everyday between the country’s capital and financial hub – each way – often using their biggest jets, from the iconic Boeing 747 to the newest Airbus A350.

With plenty of widebody options in its fleet of almost 1,000 planes, Air China deployed a narrowbody for my flight on a recent Thursday morning. But it wasn’t just any narrowbody – it was the flag carrier’s first, and so far the only, C919 jetliner.

The C919 is China’s first homegrown mainline passenger plane, manufactured by the Shanghai-based state-owned Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC). After spending years in development and lengthy delays, the twin-engine jet made its maiden commercial voyage with hometown carrier China Eastern Airlines in May 2023.

Long touted as a potential game-changer in global commercial aviation, the C919 is COMAC’s answer to the Boeing 737 and the Airbus A320 – two of the world’s best-selling aircraft types.

Despite recording more than 1,000 orders, the C919 seems dogged by skeptics who question its “Chineseness” (with key parts such as engines and flight control systems imported from the US and Europe) and its commercial viability given the Airbus-Boeing duopoly in the market.

For an aviation geek like me, however, none of the controversies could dampen my enthusiasm to unlock a brand-new aircraft type and review this still rare passenger experience since there are only a handful of C919s in the air within mainland China, the only region it’s been