00:00Air China and China Southern Airlines will become the second and third Chinese carriers to fly China's homegrown C919 passenger jet.
00:09The two carriers took delivery of the aircraft at Chinese planemaker Comac's base in Shanghai.
00:15These are the eighth and ninth planes that Comac has delivered.
00:19China Eastern Airlines has already been flying seven of these aircrafts since May last year.
00:24Our reporter Yu Yang spoke to some of the pilots.
00:28Pre-flight inspections are routine for Captain Wang Yan, who checks the engines, pitot tubes and wheels before every flight.
00:37But this time is different, as this is Air China's first C919.
00:42The country's domestically produced large passenger jet.
00:46Currently, ten experienced pilots are working for Air China's C919 fleet.
00:51They have received a special training from Comac, the manufacturer of the aircraft, for about two months.
01:01It took us two months to acquire the endorsement for the C919.
01:05We began to learn how to fly the C919 on the 28th of May.
01:09The training includes ground lessons as well as cross-country training.
01:13Since this August, we've also started practicing airline flight operations by using Comac's prototype aircraft.
01:21Wang says the biggest challenge for his team in terms of piloting the C919 is their desire to excel.
01:27The training has required them to fly at least seven hours a day, followed by an hour of circuit training.
01:37I think the main reason for us to train so hard is the sense of responsibility.
01:41Safety is the top priority for us when operating the C919.
01:45The cabin crew shares this commitment.
01:48Two months ago, 40 flight attendants received specialized training at Comac on providing cabin services for C919 passengers.
02:01We have learned carefully about the characteristics of this type of aircraft.
02:05We've also trained in how to operate the hatch, the emergency equipment and other practices related to cabin safety.
02:13Our cabin crew feels very proud to participate in the flight efforts of the Air China's first C919.
02:21The maintenance engineers have also been busy preparing.
02:24Sun Lei, a maintenance engineer at Air China, explains the intense training they have undergone since last April.
02:35For our maintenance engineers, we actually started our training at Comac since last April.
02:40Those include the characteristics of the type of the C919, the engine run-up maintenance training, landing gear system maintenance training and more.
02:49We're ready to welcome the first flight of our first C919.
02:54Air China and China Southern Airlines say they are ready to welcome their respective planes.
02:59This follows Comac's earlier delivery of seven C919s to China Eastern Airlines.
03:06Many observers say the dual deliveries demonstrate Comac's confidence in achieving the mass production of China's homegrown Jumbo passenger jets.
03:16The two planes will soon fly to their operating bases in Beijing and Guangzhou where they will get ready to begin commercial services.
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