In the 15 months after China's domestically produced jumbo passenger jet, the C919, was delivered to China Eastern Airlines, the maintenance engineers have been delivering exceptional service, ensuring the plane's smooth operation.
As the first client for the C919 aircraft, China Eastern Airlines has launched five regular commercial routes, including from Shanghai to Chengdu, Beijing to Shanghai, and Beijing to Xi'an.
Zhang Hairong, deputy director of the No. 2 workshop of the domestic aircraft maintenance department at China Eastern Airlines, said that with their maintenance, the aircraft is carrying out flight missions in full swing.
"As we get more familiar with this aircraft, we have continuously improved the systems for maintenance, support, and flight, resulting in an increase in the daily operation time of a single plane from 4 hours to a peak of about 8 hours," said Zhang. The eight hours of flight per day means that a single plane can complete a round-trip flight on two routes each day, which is gradually approaching the operational level of mainstream aircraft.
"We are responsible for inspecting the external structure and internal systems of our C919 aircraft to ensure their continuous flight safety," said Zhang.
Zhang said the domestic aircraft maintenance department was established in early 2020. Initially, there were only 13 maintenance engineers. However, through years of talent cultivation, the team has grown to nearly 200 engineers and has developed into a professional team dedicated to providing maintenance for domestic aircraft.
"From the first C919 we received to present, we have worked on seven C919 planes. From a maintenance perspective, we have put forward suggestions for improvement and optimization, focusing on being more economical, minimizing time, and reducing costs," said Zhang.
C919’s maintenance team ensures smooth daily operation
