China’s Regulator Says More Testing Needed to Certify C919 Aircraft

The fifth prototype of China's home-built C919 passenger plane takes off for its first test flight from Shanghai Pudong International Airport in Shanghai, China, on Oct. 24, 2019. Stringer/Reuters

BEIJING/SYDNEY—China’s aviation regulator said on Friday that there is still a huge amount of testing to be done for the home-grown narrowbody C919 aircraft to be certified, raising doubt over planemaker COMAC’s year-end target.

So far, the C919, China’s attempt to rival Airbus SE and Boeing Co., has completed only 34 certification tests out of 276 planned, Yang Zhenmei, a Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) official, told reporters.