Europe’s civil aviation authority, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), has confirmed that it has carried out test flights as part of the certification process for the C919 passenger aircraft developed by the Chinese manufacturer COMAC.
In a statement, EASA said the flights were part of verification activities conducted for certification purposes. It was also noted that the test flights took place in Shanghai, China. According to sources close to the process, EASA is evaluating the safety standards of aircraft developed by COMAC.
An EASA safety certification is of critical importance for COMAC in terms of accessing global markets. If the certification is completed, it could open the door for Western airlines—especially in Europe—to operate COMAC-built aircraft in their fleets. At present, European and other Western carriers cannot use COMAC aircraft in operations due to the lack of EASA approval.
The C919 is a narrow-body passenger aircraft and one of China’s most important civil aviation projects aimed at becoming an alternative to Boeing and Airbus. EASA has not yet provided detailed information on how the certification process will proceed or what the possible timeline might be.
📹: Fahadnaimb (X)
