New passenger jet completes test flight

The first C919 large passenger jet intended to enter service with China Eastern Airlines completed its debut test flight in Shanghai on May 14, bringing the official delivery date of the aircraft model for commercial flights one step closer, air industry experts said.

At 6:52 am, the domestically made jet, number B-001J, took off from Shanghai Pudong International Airport and returned at 9:54 am after performing multiple tasks, according to its manufacturer, Commercial Aircraft Corp of China.

“The latest test flight showed that the nation’s first domestically made, narrow-body passenger plane C919 is closer to beginning operation in commercial flights,” said Zheng Hongfeng, founder and CEO of aviation data and solution service provider VariFlight.