C919 aircraft fly-past over Victoria Harbour (with photos/video)

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     The flight demonstration of home-grown aircraft C919 over Victoria Harbour concluded successfully this morning (December 16).

     The C919 took off from the south runway of the Hong Kong International Airport at 10.26am and overflew Victoria Harbour twice from west to east at altitudes of 1 500ft and 1 000ft respectively. It finally landed on the south runway at 11.33am.

     Against the iconic Hong Kong skyline, the home-grown aircraft of C919 soared and made its debut appearance over Victoria Harbour. The historic moment was witnessed by members of the public and tourists who lined both sides of Victoria Harbour to admire the fly-past.

     After the flight demonstration, representatives from the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China, Ltd (COMAC), manufacturer of the C919 and the ARJ21 aircraft, were invited to meet and interact with more than 300 young people at the Civil Aviation Department Headquarters. During the event, the representatives from COMAC introduced the development history of the C919 and the ARJ21 aircraft, as well as the stories in obtaining the airworthiness certificates of the two aircraft. The pilots of the C919 aircraft also shared their valuable flying experiences with the participants. The question-and-answer session was warmly received by young participants and they were profoundly inspired by the country’s successful development of the two aircraft.

     The Director-General of Civil Aviation, Mr Victor Liu, was very glad about the successful flight demonstration of the C919 aircraft today. Mr Liu expressed his utmost honour and pride in witnessing the C919 aircraft flying over Hong Kong skies and once again extended his heartfelt gratitude to the Civil Aviation Administration of China and the COMAC for their unwavering support in arranging the visit of the domestic aircraft duo of C919 and ARJ21 to Hong Kong. Mr Liu believed that this event would undoubtedly enhance the knowledge and enthusiasm in national aviation development of young people in Hong Kong, inspire them with the country’s innovative spirit, and eventually cultivated local aspirants of the aviation industry.