COMAC said it would send six test aircraft on test flights, and complete more than 1,000 compliance tests. An additional two aircraft will carry out ground tests, including static and fatigue tests.
The C919 boasts a global sourcing model that is similar to that of Boeing and Airbus. The model is believed to increase production efficiency and save costs, but aircraft manufacturers retain control of key technologies.
With more than 100,000 components required for the plane, more than 240 Chinese companies have served as suppliers. More than 460,000 people have been involved in its research and development, and 37 higher education institutions joined the project, according to COMAC.
Once mass production and delivery begin, it is expected to drive the rapid growth of the upstream and downstream industry chains and other high-end manufacturing sectors, such as metal materials, mechanical manufacturing, electronic information and chemistry.
So far, 785 orders from 27 clients in China and abroad have been placed for the C919. To further expand its overseas sales, the plane will need to comply with stringent global safety regulations.
A new agreement with the United States has helped pave the way to meeting those standards. In October, the Civil Aviation Administration of China and the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), announced they would validate the regulatory standards of both countries.
This will help shorten the C919's review procedure in obtaining an airworthiness certificate by the FAA, although the aircraft still faces various other safety checks.
Meanwhile, China and Europe are also in the process of certifying the C919 under the China-European Union air-safety agreement.
"When we refer to a nation with strong aviation power, first it needs to have large traffic volumes, then strong manufacturing abilities, and finally the aviation regulatory standards of the country should be widely recognized," said Lin Zhijie, an aviation industry analyst and columnist at Carnoc, China's leading civil aviation web portal.
He added that the C919's entry into the market is expected to take place in the 2020-2022 period.
"In the short term, the C919 aircraft won't have a significant impact on the market share of Boeing and Airbus. But in the long term, it has the potential to be exported to more countries."
