China's C919 plateau variant completes maiden flight

(ECNS) -- The first C919 aircraft of the plateau variant completed its maiden flight at Shanghai Pudong International Airport on Tuesday, according to the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC).  

The aircraft flew for 1 hour and 59 minutes, completing all scheduled tests, marking an important step in the C919 family's series development.

The variant features a shortened fuselage and system upgrades based on the baseline model to meet the requirements of high-altitude operations.

The C919 is China's first domestically developed trunk jetliner with independent intellectual property rights, designed in accordance with international airworthiness standards. The baseline model seats 158 to 192 passengers and has a range of 4,075 to 5,555 kilometers.

The aircraft rolled off the final assembly line in November 2015 and took its maiden flight in May 2017. It received its type certificate from the Civil Aviation Administration of China in September 2022 before being delivered to its first customer in December that year. The aircraft entered commercial service in May 2023.

(By Tang Yuxian)