The C919, China’s first homemade large commercial jet airliner, obtained its type certificate, marking its 14 years of preparation for entering the commercial aviation market.
The C919’s designer, The Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC), received the Type certificate from the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) on 29 September 2022, indicating the design and production process have complied with the national standards.
The plane conducted its successful maiden flight in 2017. and operated six test flights to test the plane’s safety, reliability, and emissions capabilities. All have been comprehensively assessed under extreme environments. It also marks a milestone in China’s ability to conduct its airworthiness certification for airliners under internationally accepted airworthiness standards. said Yang Zhenmei, the official in charge of airworthiness certification.
The congratulatory message from the China government was also read out by State Councilor Wang Yong at the ceremony. It said that the certificate is a significant fruit of China’s innovation-driven development, signalling a milestone in building China into a manufacturing powerhouse.
About the project
The C919 is designed, built and developed by COMAC in 2007 as part of china’s plan to enter the commercial aviation market to compete with the stranglehold of Airbus and Boeing in the narrow-body market. The 168-190-seat narrow-body airliner was developed for short-haul routes with configuration options as 150/ 168 in a dual-class configuration and accommodated up to 190 seats in a single-class configuration.
The C919 is still in the process of getting the production approval for customers and the certificate of airworthiness for the first customer airlines, China Eastern, targeting the delivery to be held by the end of 2022.After completing airworthiness certification, product delivery and operation preparation is to be assessed for the coming months to develop the capability to take orders. The C919 currently has 28 customers, with more than 800 orders.
What do you think about the Chinese C919? Let us know your thoughts down in the comments section below!
