Second C919 plane tests its mettle in maiden flight

"The successful flight of the second test aircraft is regarded as another milestone as it enters the airworthiness certification phase in China," said Lin Zhijie, an aviation industry analyst and columnist at Carnoc.com, one of China's largest civil aviation web portals.

"Meanwhile, China and the United States have validated the regulatory standards of both countries. China and Europe also are in the process of certifying the C919 under the China-European Union air safety agreement," he said.

"We could say that the hindrances have been cleared up from the policy level, and the performance and reliability of the C919 aircraft itself will determine if it could get the airworthiness certificates from the US and Europe."

In November, the first prototype C919 test aircraft completed its first long-haul flight from Shanghai to Xi'an, Shaanxi province.

In the next few years, the manufacturer said it would cooperate with the Aviation Industry Corp of China, and start intensive series of test flights at the testing bases in Yanliang, Shaanxi province, and at Dongying, Shandong province.