The Commercial Aircraft Corp of China (COMAC) on Saturday said China’s home-made C919 jet nears certification after six test flights marked the completion of its trial phase.
A total of six C919 test planes have finished the testing tasks, which signify that the program has entered the final stage of receiving a certificate from the Civil Aviation Administration of China, which is required for commercial operations, said COMAC in a statement on its official website.
“This is a crucial phased victory in the development of the C919 jet,” COMAC said.
The first testing task of the first C919 test plane was completed in May. The plane departed from Shanghai Pudong International Airport and landed safely after three hours and two minutes’ flight, according to COMAC.
During this flight, the test pilots and engineers coordinated and worked in partnership to complete the scheduled tasks, and the aircraft was in good condition and performance, COMAC said.
The C919, China’s first self-developed trunk jetliner, has 158-168 seats with a range of 4,075-5,555 kilometers. The plane conducted a successful maiden flight in 2017. Since 2019, six C919 aircraft have conducted their test flights, according to a previous report by the Global Times.
In March 2021, COMAC signed a purchase contract with China Eastern Airlines for five planes, marking the official entry into market for the plane. The new planes will be used on routes from Shanghai to Beijing, Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Chengdu, according to the airline.
On May 10, China Eastern Airlines said in a filing that it planned to raise 15 billion yuan ($2.21 billion) to acquire 38 aircraft, including a total of 28 C919 and ARJ21-700 planes. The filing also revealed the unit price of the C919, which is was listed as $99 million.
To date, COMAC has received 815 orders for the C919 from 28 customers worldwide.
Source:- Global Times
C919 Photo: VCG
