A mainland aviation specialist says using the domestically-produced C919 aircraft for daily flights in Hong Kong will help the SAR become an aviation engineering hub. China Eastern Airlines is deploying the narrow-body passenger jet on a direct route between Hong Kong and Shanghai, with the first set of flights due to take off on Wednesday. "In the past 50 or 60 years, Hong Kong has worked as an [aviation hub], but due to the lack of a local aircraft manufacturer, it is not an aircraft or aviation engineering hub," Jason Li told RTHK in an exclusive interview. He noted that Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC), the Shanghai-based manufacturer of the C919, was increasing its engineering investment in the SAR. "Now, as you can see... COMAC is putting more China-produced C919 into Hong Kong. They are building an engineering team in Hong Kong," said Li. "You can see that aviation [requires] a comprehensive engineering team. There are so many different parts; mechanical, electronic etc. So there will be much more career opportunities for local young people," he said. He said the choice of Hong Kong as the C919's first destination outside mainland China shows the city's important role in advancing the national aviation sector. "China is encouraging and letting more enterprises demonstrate their newest technology and the business in Hong Kong," he said. He added that Hong Kong's status as an international city meant the C919 would have more exposure to overseas clientele, such as those from Southeast Asia, the United States, and Europe. Li said he expected more C919 jets flying into Hong Kong in the next couple of years. "China Eastern Airlines currently has 10 C919s... I expect that in 2025, when they reach about 15 or 20, there will be an extra pair from Shanghai to Hong Kong," he said. "And for other carriers, for example Air China or China Southern Airlines - if they reach about five or 10 C919s - there will be flights from Beijing to Hong Kong."
