Global Times reported that the world's first C919 that China Eastern Airlines has just received began a total of 100 hours of verification flights on December 25, laying the foundation for future commercial flights, expected to begin in the spring of next year.
Flight MU7801 departs from Hong Kieu Shanghai International Airport to Beijing Capital International Airport.
The mandatory 100-hour flight time will last until mid-February 2023 at 10 airports in 9 provinces and cities.
For each verification flight day, the C919 will take off from Hong Kieu Airport in Shanghai and fly to airports in other cities.
Destinations include two airports in Beijing, Thien Phu Thanh Do International Airport and airports in Tay An, Hai Khau, Thanh Dao, Vu Han, Nam Xuong and Te Nam, before returning to Hong Kieu Shanghai Airport on the same day.
After the C919 completes the certified flight, the Civil Aviation Authority of China will verify and check flight data and performance indicators, and issue a corresponding operating license.
Test flights must simulate the entire flight operation process, including the entire coordination process, putting passengers on the flight, pilot control and maintenance.
This process aims to verify the airline's ability to safely operate the C919 aircraft, including the ability to apply and implement policies, standards, regulations and processes developed by the airline in the initial phase of use.
The process will also verify China Eastern Airlines' ability to support different professional systems and whether the technical staff is capable of operating the C919 aircraft safely.
As the first airline to use new aircraft, China Eastern Airlines will also provide relevant departments with a large amount of data accumulated during the certified flight and operational support experience to help optimize and continuously improve new aircraft models.
Regarding personnel, China Eastern Airlines said it has completed the first training course for 9 pilots, 24 flight attendants and 13 aircraft maintenance staff.
In addition to continuous training for the second round of personnel recruitment for key positions, the number of related support staff is also enough to meet initial verification requirements.
China Eastern Airlines aims to put the C919 into commercial operation in the spring of 2023 and the C919 will fly routes from Shanghai, Beijing, Xi'an, Kunming, Guangzhou, Chengdu and Shenzhen.
The world's first C919 aircraft, also the first domestically developed passenger carrier developed by China, was handed over to China Eastern Airlines in Shanghai on December 9.
China Eastern Airlines and the aircraft manufacturer, the China Commercial Aircraft Corporation, signed a contract to purchase the first 5 C919 aircraft in March 2021. The remaining four will be delivered in the next two years.
