China’s home-grown narrow-bodied passenger jet, the C919, made its maiden flight from Shanghai Pudong International Airport on May 5, gearing up to compete with Airbus and Boeing. Five crew members, led by 41-year-old Captain Cai Jun were onboard for the flight to Nantong, about 100 kilometers from Shanghai, and back to Pudong airport. The jet is the first of six C919s which will now undergo rigorous flight testing until 2019 before deliveries are made to airlines, according to Bao Peng, Project Manager at the jet’s assembly plant operated by Shanghai-based Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC). The C919 – whose key parts include engines and avionics systems provided by 15 international companies such as General Electric and Honeywell – has received 570 orders from 23 foreign and domestic customers, including Air China and leasing company GE Capital Aviation Service. China is projected to require 6,865 new aircraft over the next 20 years valued at CNY6 trillion, as airlines replenish their retiring fleets or expand, according to COMAC’s projection. About 21% of these will be twin-aisle planes, while single-aisle aircraft make up 65% of the demand. “The first flight of the C919 aircraft marks a great milestone not only for COMAC, but for China and the entire global aerospace industry,” said Steven Lien, President of Honeywell Aerospace’ Asia-Pacific operations. The C919 can carry 150 passengers in a standard configuration, putting it in the same class as the Boeing 737 and Airbus A320, the South China Morning Post reports. Overseas orders account for about 10% of the total, including airlines from Germany, Thailand and Africa.