China finally has an indigenously designed airliner, following the issue of a type certificate for theComac ARJ21-700 regional jet by the country’s civil aviation authority.
Certification of the aircraft follows more than 12 years of development, including six in flight testing, and comes four decades after China began its first attempt at producing a jet airliner.
The Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) issued the type certificate under Chapter 25 of the Chinese civil aviation regulations on Dec. 30. Comac, announcing the certification, says the CAAC is now examining the first aircraft intended for delivery to a customer. That customer will be Chengdu Airlines, which belongs to Comac and will help the manufacturer learn to support the type in service. Early this year, entry into service was due in April or May 2015.