C919 takes first long-distance flight in preparation for further tests

SHANGHAI -- The Chinese-produced large passenger jet, C919, will make its first long-distance flight on Friday, leaving Shanghai for Northwest China's Shaanxi province where it will undergo further testing.

The plane will take off in Pudong Airport in Shanghai and fly to Yanliang Testing Base in Xi'an, according to Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC), the Shanghai-based manufacturer of the jet.

The company plans to produce six test planes, with the second expected to make its maiden flight at the end of this year.

The first C919 completed its maiden test flight in May and has now made a total of five test flights. It will remain at the Yanliang base to undergo more complicated testing in order to acquire its airworthiness certificates.

Cai Jun, captain of the maiden flight, said the aircraft will fly at a height of 7,800 meters and complete the 1,400-km journey in around three hours.

"We have prepared a detailed work plan to ensure the safety of the flight from Shanghai to Yanliang," he said.

COMAC has received orders for 730 C919 planes from 27 domestic and international clients.

With a standard range of 4,075 kilometers, the C919 jet is comparable to the updated Airbus 320 and Boeing's new generation 737 planes.