China has appointed its first female pilot to exclusively captain flights on its home-grown C919 jet, with more aspiring women waiting in the wings as the nation expands its talent pool and systemically transitions elite pilots who used to fly Boeing and Airbus jets to operate the narrowbody airliner.
Yu Yue, who made a high-stakes switch from her decade-long career flying the US-made Boeing 737 to be a C919 captain this year, has become a source of inspiration for many in the country.
According to state media reports, Yu – who flies with Guangzhou-based China Southern Airlines – has maintained a “zero-error” record since joining the carrier in 2015.
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Trained at the Civil Aviation Flight University of China, she was enlisted as one of a cohort of top-flight pilots earlier this year to undergo intensive training to operate the C919, China’s answer to the 737 and Airbus A320 narrowbody jets.
The C919, manufactured by the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (Comac), began domestic service in May 2023, with the three largest carriers – the state-owned China Southern, Air China and China Eastern – all moving to further ratchet up flight frequencies following more than two years of smooth operations. China Southern is also expanding a pilot retraining plan as it takes delivery of more C919 units.
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Across the nation, skilled pilots are undergoing C919 transition training with coordination from Comac and regulators, China Civil Aviation News reported in October, as the “big three” airlines have each committed to buy at least 100 units of the jet, taking deliveries into the 2030s.
“When I was approached to gauge my willingness to transition [to fly the C919], I did not hesitate for even a second,” Yu said in an interview with a Comac publication this month.