China's drive to break into foreign aviation markets with its homegrown COMAC jets has intensified, with a push to persuade Vietnam to authorise its planes in the country, according to two people with knowledge of the talks and documents.

China’s homegrown Comac C919 narrow-body passenger jet made its first commercial flight from Shanghai to Beijing, in a symbolic challenge to the decades-old duopoly of Boeing and Airbus in one of the most important markets for aviation.

China Eastern Airlines has planned the COMAC C919’s first-ever scheduled service outside of mainland China, with the carrier scheduling flights to Hong Kong International Airport (HKG) starting next year.

Chinese planemaker COMAC plans to raise production capacity for its homegrown C919 single-aisle planes to 50 this year, a COMAC executive told a media outlet supported by the Shanghai government.