China's first large passenger jet C919 rolls off the production line in Shanghai municipality on November 2, 2015. The maiden test flight of the C919 is scheduled for 2016. So far, 450 orders from 18 domestic and foreign clients have been placed for the jetliner. (Photo /Weibo account of CCTV)
A civil aircraft test flight center, built by the Commercial Aircraft Corp. of China (COMAC), opened Wednesday in east China's Shandong Province.
The Dongying City center will be mainly used to test the C919 aircraft, the first domestically-produced large passenger aircraft that was unveiled in November.
It will also be the location for test flights of the regional jet ARJ21-700, China's first airliner independently designed in accordance with international standards.
Training of test pilots and test flight engineers will also be conducted at the center.
The C919 has been designed to compete with the updated Airbus 320 and Boeing's new-generation 737 once it is cleared for commercial use. It has 158 seats, a standard range of 4,075 kilometers and an extended range of 5,555 kilometers.
The ARJ21-700 had undergone six-years of grueling tests before the civil aviation authority awarded it accreditation in 2014. The five-seat per row jet was awarded airworthiness certificates from both the Civil Aviation Administration of China and the U.S. Federal Aviation Agency.
