新中国的大飞机事业始于上世纪五十年代。[1]1951年4月17日，中央人民政府人民革命军事委员会和政务院联合颁发《关于航空工业建设的决定》，标志着新中国航空工业正式创建。[1]经过数十年的积累和发展，1970年毛泽东在上海视察时提出"上海的工业基础这么好，可以搞飞机嘛"，[1]这一号召推动了国产大飞机研制的起步。1980年9月26日，运-10在上海大场机场成功首飞，[1]实现了中国自主设计、制造喷气式客机的突破。
进入21世纪，中国大飞机事业进入新的发展阶段。[1]2008年5月，中国商飞公司成立，[1]同年11月，ARJ21新支线客机在上海大场机场成功首飞。[1]2009年，干线客机正式定名为C919。[1]全国20多个省份、1000多家企事业单位、近30万人参与了其研制工作。[1]2017年5月，C919在浦东国际机场成功首飞。[1]
C919的商业化进程不断推进。[1]2022年9月，C919获颁中国民航局型号合格证；[1]同年12月，首架C919交付给中国东方航空；[1]2023年5月，东方航空首架C919投入商业运营。[1]此外，ARJ21也于2016年6月完成了首次商业飞行。[1]从运-10到C919，中国实现了从无到有、从弱到强的自主研制大飞机之路。
China's journey toward developing and operating indigenous large commercial aircraft spans seven decades of persistent effort and technological advancement.[1] The foundation for this achievement was formally established on April 17, 1951, when the Central People's Government and the People's Revolutionary Military Commission jointly issued the "Decision on Aerospace Industry Construction," officially marking the birth of China's aviation industry.[1] During a 1970 inspection visit to Shanghai, Chairman Mao Zedong observed that "with such a strong industrial foundation, Shanghai could certainly build aircraft," a vision that would eventually guide the nation's ambitions.[1]
The path to large aircraft development progressed through successive milestones. On September 26, 1980, the Y-10 completed its maiden flight at Shanghai's Dachang Airport, representing a major breakthrough in China's independent large aircraft design capabilities.[1] More than a quarter century later, in November 2008, the ARJ21 regional jet airliner successfully made its first flight at the same venue, followed by its first commercial operation in June 2016.[1] The establishment of China Commercial Aircraft Corporation in May 2008 marked the institutional foundation for modern large aircraft development, with the mainline aircraft formally designated as C919 in 2009.[1]
The C919 project mobilized unprecedented national resources, drawing participation from more than 20 provinces and over 1,000 enterprises and institutions involving nearly 300,000 personnel in its development and manufacture.[1] The aircraft completed its maiden flight on May 5, 2017, at Pudong International Airport in Shanghai, followed by certification from the Civil Aviation Administration of China in September 2022 and delivery to launch customer China Eastern Airlines in December 2022.[1] In May 2023, China Eastern Airlines placed its first C919 aircraft into commercial service, marking the culmination of decades of technological perseverance and China's entry into the elite circle of nations capable of manufacturing large commercial jets.[1]