Airplane enthusiasts gushed as the two China-made aircraft – the C919 and the ARJ21 – finally arrived at the Hong Kong International Airport yesterday afternoon for their first display in the SAR.
The domestic aircraft landed at 2pm and received a ceremonial water salute – the highest honor in the aviation industry, with two fire-fighting vehicles along the runway emitting plumes of water to form an arch as the two planes parked near the airport’s north satellite concourse.
Both aircraft will be mounted on a static display at the airport for three days from today. People will also be able to see the C919 flying over Victoria Harbour on Saturday on a demonstration flight.
The two flights took off from the Shanghai Pudong International Airport at around 11.30am yesterday.
The ARJ21, the first regional aircraft independently designed and manufactured by China, landed first on the airport’s south runway, followed by the arrival of the C919 – the country’s first domestically developed large commercial passenger aircraft which made its maiden commercial flight in May.
A tourist from Singapore, Li, went to the airport to witness the arrival of the two China-made planes.
“I learned the two flights would visit Hong Kong one day before I left Singapore, so I came to the airport to have a look,” Li said. “The two mainland-developed flights are not allowed to enter many foreign countries. So I want to take some pictures of them during their visit to the SAR.”
Mainland civil aviation expert Li Hanming said he was happy to see the two mainland-developed flights land in Hong Kong.
He said the Civil Aviation Department usually arranges flights to land at the airport’s north runway by the sea and believes it made a special arrangement to allow landing on the south runway – which is near Tung Chung and Scenic Hill – making it easier for shutterbugs to take photos.
He added the weather was good yesterday with westerly winds and the flights approached the airport from the east, allowing passengers in the terminal to watch the landing.
Li also said many people might worry that the two domestically made flights could only fly in the mainland but their landing in Hong Kong proves they are fully capable of flying in accordance with international civil aviation standards.
The government said the C919 will conduct a demonstration flight over Victoria Harbour on Saturday if the weather permits, while the Hong Kong Observatory forecasts it will be “mainly cloudy with a few rain patches” on the day.
Pilots need to have a clear view to fly at a low altitude, Li said, warning that the demonstration may have to be canceled if the cloudy weather persists.
During the demonstration flight, the C919 will take off at 10.30am from the airport and overfly Victoria Harbour twice from west to east, the department said, adding that the public could watch it at both sides of the harbor, including the Tsim Sha Tsui East Waterfront, Kwun Tong Promenade, Quarry Bay Promenade and West Kowloon Waterfront Promenade.
The department will set up a temporary restricted flying zone around Victoria Harbour to facilitate the demonstration, banning drones, model aircraft, kites and balloons.
It added that representatives from the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China, the manufacturer of the C919 and the ARJ21 aircraft, will meet with more than 200 young Hongkongers on Saturday afternoon to share knowledge and development of the two aircraft.
wallis.wang@singtaonewscorp.com
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