Chinese airline adds frequency of validation flights of C919 jetliner

SHANGHAI -- Entering the new year, China Eastern Airlines has increased the frequency of validation flights for C919 large passenger jetliner, China's first homegrown large jetliner.

The company confirmed that on the first day of the new year, the aircraft flew from Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport to Beijing Daxing International Airport and then returned to Shanghai. On Monday, it departed for the Haikou Meilan International Airport in the tropical island province of Hainan in South China.

The large passenger jetliner is undergoing the 100-hour aircraft validation flight process on nine air routes. Taking the Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport as the base, it travels to the airports in cities including Beijing, Chengdu, Xi'an, Haikou, Qingdao, Wuhan, Nanchang and Jinan, and returns on the same day. Each verification flight simulates the whole flight operation process, including dispatch and release, passenger boarding, pilot operation, and maintenance, among others.

The company has completed the training of nine pilots, 24 flight attendants and 13 maintenance personnel for the flights of C919 jetliner. The training for the second group of flight crew and other supporting personnel is also underway.

China Eastern Airlines has given the first C919 aircraft a 164-seat layout with many humanized designs such as wide-seat economy class, pull-down luggage compartments and situational lighting.

The operator said the results of the validation flight process are expected to be reviewed and inspected by the Civil Aviation Administration of China, preluding the jetliner's commercial passenger operation as early as the spring of 2023, if the test results prove satisfactory.