China’s homemade C919 plane ready for commercial operations – World

SHANGHAI (Reuters) – China’s narrow-body C919 aircraft, designed to challenge the duopoly of Airbus and Boeing, is nearing certification as its test aircraft have completed all test flight missions, the Chinese company said on Saturday.

The Chinese state-owned commercial aircraft manufacturer (COMAC) said on its official account on social media that the six test planes have completed testing tasks with the program entering the final stage of receiving certification from the Civil Aviation Administration of China. Required for business operations.

It will be a milestone in China’s ambitions to climb the manufacturing supply chain. China’s Comac is now the market’s third choice for the 100-plus-seat aircraft, after Boeing and Airbus struck deals to take over production of rival aircraft made by Embraer and Bombardier.

Designed to compete directly with the Boeing 737 MAX and Airbus 320neo families, the C919 aircraft program has faced a host of technical problems and stricter US export controls, after its launch in 2008.

The launch customer is state-owned China Eastern Airlines, which placed an order for five C919 aircraft in March last year.

The Changjiang Daily, owned by the local government in Wuhan, said in a report on July 8 that the airline is scheduled to receive its first delivery in August. The aircraft assembled in China relies heavily on Western components, including engines and avionics.

Posted in Dawn, Jul 24, 2022