European aviation evaluators have begun test flights of China’s home-grown C919 airliner in Shanghai as the manufacturer of the narrow-body jet presses ahead with its bid to secure Western safety certification – a crucial step to be able to compete with industry leaders Boeing and Airbus. Two test pilots from the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) have conducted verification flights. Meanwhile, senior foreign pilots working in China have been deployed to help demonstrate the C919’s reliability. The moves, following a delay in the high-stakes certification process last year, were part of ongoing exchanges between Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (Comac) – the C919’s manufacturer – and the European regulator. EASA pilots conducted in-flight tests in November on a C919 that took off from Shanghai’s Pudong Airport, near the aircraft’s production base, the source added.
“EASA agreed the aircraft is good and safe, other than some teething problems that required tweaks,” a source said. Another source confirmed the test flights and said there had been an increase in exchanges between Comac and EASA recently. Jason Li, an aviation and logistics analyst, said progress was being made and EASA’s test flights would be crucial. Flight tests are a key part of compliance demonstration, the third stage of EASA’s four-part assessment regime. They validate critical aspects as the aircraft is put through extreme maneuvers, stalls and weather environments. After successful flight testing and other demonstrations, EASA reviews the complete compliance package and ensures any issues are resolved before issuing certification.
The C919, China’s challenger to the Boeing 737 and Airbus A320 narrow-body airliners, still needs Western certification to bolster its international standing and fly beyond Chinese skies, despite more than two years of smooth domestic operations since May 2023, with four million passengers transported by the end of last year.
In May last year, EASA Executive Director Florian Guillermet said the approval timeline for the C919 could be extended to “three to six years”, dashing hopes the Chinese airliner would pass inspection soon. “The C919 cannot be certified in 2025. We should be certifying within three to six years,” Guillermet said, while adding he was optimistic the plane would eventually receive certification, the South China Morning Post reports.
