China's new homegrown jet makes its inaugural commercial flight, posing the first real threat to Airbus and Boeing's duopoly in decades.

The article focuses on the inaugural commercial flight of the C919, a narrow-body aircraft developed by the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC), which took place on a China Eastern Airlines flight from Shanghai to Beijing. This event marks a significant milestone for COMAC, as the C919 aims to compete with established models like Boeing's 737 Max and Airbus's A320, thereby challenging the long-standing duopoly in the commercial aviation market. The C919's development has been part of China's broader strategy for self-sufficiency in high-end manufacturing, particularly in light of increasing U.S.-China tensions and technology export restrictions. Despite receiving over 1,200 orders, COMAC anticipates a slow production ramp-up, projecting to manufacture only 150 planes annually by 2028. [Extracted from the article]