China's first domestic jet gets certified

China's first domestically produced regional jet was officially certified on Tuesday, marking a crucial step forward for the jet's entry into the market.

The ARJ21-700 won the certification after a series of examinations by the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) using the country's airworthiness standards.

The ARJ21, short for Advanced Regional Jet for the 21st Century, is a type of regional airliner designed and manufactured by the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC).

There are 78 seats in a dual-class configuration and 90 seats in a full economy class configuration. Its economic life is designed for 60,000 flying hours or 20 calendar years.

The first ARJ21-700 jet was designed and manufactured between 2003 and 2007 and made its first test flight in November 2008. Since then, the jet has completed more than 5,000 hours of test flights.

After the CAAC started the jet's certification process in 2012, a total of 300 ground examinations and more than 1,141 hours of test flights were carried out, the CAAC said.

Certification is not the end of the process, said Luo Ronghuai, vice president of COMAC and also head of the ARJ21 project.

There must be a period for improving the model's design, systems and operations before its entry into the market, Luo said.

The jet will still need to gain brand recognition and market share in order to be a success, and eventually it must be able to bring profits to the airlines that use it, he said.

Li Jiaxiang, head of the CAAC, rode the jet from Shanghai to Beijing on Tuesday, believing that "the jet can provide no less comfort than any plane I've ever taken."

After the certification, trial operations will be made. It will take at least three years to build systems for commercial operation and management.

The jet currently has 278 orders, COMAC data showed.

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