The jet program is entering its final phase, receiving a certificate from China’s civil aviation authority.
(Photo: AP)
shanghai China’s domestic aircraft maker is nearing certification for its C919 jet. As the state-owned company Commercial Aircraft Corp of China (COMAC) announced on its social network on Saturday, the test aircraft had completed all flight tests.
Now the program is entering its final phase, obtaining a certificate from the Civil Aviation Authority of China. This means that the aircraft type can be approved for commercial operation.
The first customer is state-owned China Eastern Airlines, which ordered five C919 jets in March last year. Changjiang Daily, a newspaper owned by the Wuhan local government, reported on July 8 that the airline is scheduled to receive the first delivery in August.
The C919 aircraft program is designed to challenge the Airbus-Boeing duopoly. It is in direct competition with Boeing 737 MAX and Airbus 320neo. After its launch in 2008, the program struggled with a series of technical problems and stricter US export controls.
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