BEIJING, July 12 (Xinhua) -- China's C919 large passenger plane project has entered into a new major phase with intensive flight tests in multiple sites around the country, announced its developer the state-owned Commercial Aircraft Corp. of China (COMAC).
The No.102 C919 plane landed at Dongying Shengli Airport in east China's Shandong Province Thursday, after its first long-distance flight from the final assembly line in Shanghai, COMAC said.
The company said there will be six C919 planes taking various flight tests, and another two planes for static and fatigue tests on the ground.
The C919, China's first self-developed trunk jetliner, conducted a successful maiden flight on May 5, 2017, at Shanghai Pudong International Airport.
COMAC has cooperated with local governments and institutions to construct industrial bases and conduct flight tests for the C919 project.
There are currently three flight test bases for the project, with Shanghai as the main base, as well as Xi'an Yanliang Airport, in northwest China's Shaanxi Province, and Dongying Shengli Airport.
Supporting flight test bases, such as Nanchang Yaohu Airport in central China's Jiangxi Province, are under construction.
The C919 planes will fly to various airports to undergo rigorous testing in complex weather conditions and a series of high-risk flight tests, said COMAC.
