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First Pre-Delivery Test Flight for China’s COMAC C919

The first of COMAC’s C919 narrowbody airliners to be delivered flew its first flight Saturday, moving one step closer to entering service.

COMAC C919
Comac's first production C919. [Courtesy: Comac]
Gemini Sparkle

Key Takeaways:

  • China's C919 twin-engine airliner successfully completed its first pre-delivery test flight, moving it closer to entering service with launch customer China Eastern Airlines.
  • The three-hour test flight occurred at Shanghai Pudong International Airport and involved pilots and engineers completing all designed operations.
  • The C919's reported price of $99 million is higher than expected and significantly above competing airliners like the Boeing 737-8 and Airbus A320neo.
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China’s C919 twin-engine airliner has flown its first pre-delivery test flight, moving the new narrowbody type a step closer to entering service.

The three-hour flight took place Saturday at Shanghai Pudong International Airport (ZSPD), the main hub for launch customer China Eastern Airlines, according to the manufacturer, Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC).

Thom Patterson

Thom is a former senior editor for FLYING. Previously, his freelance reporting appeared in aviation industry magazines. Thom also spent three decades as a TV and digital journalist at CNN’s bureaus in Washington and Atlanta, eventually specializing in aviation. He has reported from air shows in Oshkosh, Farnborough and Paris. Follow Thom on Twitter @thompatterson.

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