Civil aviation body gives safety approval to ARJ21

Jin Zhuanglong, chairman of Commercial Aircraft Corp of China Ltd, holds up the certificate issued to its regional jetliner ARJ21 by the civil aviation authorities in Beijing on Dec 30, 2014. [Photo/Xinhua]

The ARJ21, China's first domestic commercial regional aircraft, was certified by the Civil Aviation Administration of China on Tuesday, six years after the aircraft's first test flight.

Gaining the certification means the aircraft meets the authority's safety requirements and has permission to enter the civil aviation market, said Jin Zhuanglong, chairman of the aircraft's manufacturer, Commercial Aircraft Corp of China Ltd.

It also shows that Chinese authorities have the capacity to examine the passenger aircraft's airworthiness, Jin said.