The third prototype of China's homebuilt passenger jet C919 has successfully completed its first test flight on Friday according to its manufacturer, bringing it a step closer to the country's dream of becoming a strong civil aerospace player.
The C919, once it is perfected, will compete with Boeing's 737 and Airbus' A320. It is also considered as the symbol of China's civil aerospace ambition and President Xi Jinping's policy to upgrade the country's manufacturing capabilities.
In their official microblog, Commercial Aircraft Corp of China said that the plane successfully landed at Shanghai Pudong International Airport at 12:45 pm after flying for 1 hour and 38 minutes. It will be flying next to Xi'an for more test flights, and focus on aircraft flutter and airspeed calibration.
The second prototype of the plane made its first flight in December 2017, seven months after the first C919 made its first flight.
COMAC has also said that it is currently making three more prototypes and all six will be conducting regular flight tests by next year.
Despite the fact it is still not released, the C919 already has 815 jets reserved for customers.
COMAC is aiming to get a plane certification from Chinese regulators by the end of 2020, as well as from Europe's aviation safety regulators, who already agreed in April that they will start the certification process.
