China’s first domestically developed regional aircraft, the ARJ21-700, has started applying for domestic certification and is expected to complete the process in 2010.
The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology said this in a statement displayed on its website.
The 90-seat jet successfully completed its maiden test flight last month.
The plane is manufactured by Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China, an arm of the country’s newly created aviation giant China Aviation Industry Corp, which aims to challenge Boeing and Airbus at some indeterminate time in the future.
The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration opened an office in Shanghai last year with the goal of helping Chinese aircraft obtain certification and assist with other safety issues. Which could also boost U.S. aviation related sales in China.
Global regulators often follow the FAA on safety issues, and certification by the U.S. regulator will be a crucial step for any new airliner eyeing global sales.
China has secured 208 orders for the jet — due to start commercial delivery within 18 months, but the vast majority are from domestic airlines — including five firm orders from General Electric’s (GE.N) aircraft leasing arm.
Source: Reuters
