China on Friday announced the first delivery of its new domestically produced passenger jet, with the aircraft expected to make its commercial debut early next year.
Beijing hopes the C919 commercial jetliner will challenge foreign models like the Boeing 737 MAX and the Airbus A320, though most of its parts are sourced from abroad.
The move marked "an important milestone" in the journey of China's aircraft industry, state broadcaster CCTV said.
The state-owned Commercial Aircraft Corp of China (COMAC) passed the airline a "commemorative key to the world's first C919," CCTV reported.
