C919 aircraft undergoing demanding flight tests

The homemade narrow-body C919 aircraft in China is undergoing rigorous flight tests and a certification campaign, according to Zheng Dayong, deputy manager of COMAC Shanghai Aircraft Manufacturing.

Six planes are undergoing flight tests in several areas, including Yanliang district of Shaanxi province's Xi'an in Northwest China, Shandong province's Dongying and Jiangxi province's Nanchang in East China, and two others are undergoing static or fatigue tests in Shanghai's Pudong, Zheng said on Monday.

He added the CR929 long-range wide-body aircraft, co-developed by China and Russia, is in the initial stage of design, while China's independently developed ARJ21 regional aircraft has been delivered to domestic airlines, such as Air China and China Eastern Airlines.

"Large passenger aircraft is high-tech, high-value-added and has high-end equipment, and we have developed a cluster combining design, manufacturing and flight tests for the industry in Pudong New Area," Zheng said.