C919 to start R&D test flights for ultra-high altitudes

Commercial Aircraft Corp of China (COMAC), the producer of the home-made C919 aircraft, said on Thursday that the aircraft will carry out research and development (R&D) test flights of key systems for ultra high-altitude operations, a further step for the plane's future.

The plane took off from Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport in Chengdu, Southwest China's Sichuan Province, and landed at Gonggar Airport in Lhasa, Southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region after a flight of two hours and eight minutes on Thursday. It was the first time for the C919 to land in Lhasa.

The C919 aircraft will carry out R&D test flights of key high-altitude operation systems such as environmental controls, avionics, and power units, as well as high-altitude airport adaptability inspections, laying the foundation for high-altitude operations and high-altitude prototype R&D, according to information COMAC shared with the Global Times.

The Gonggar Airport is located in the Yarlung Zangbo River Valley at an altitude of 3,569 meters. There are many mountains around it, and the meteorological environment is complex and changeable, which places high demands on the aircraft's plateau operation performance.

On August 21, China's indigenously developed regional jetliner, the ARJ21, started month-long demonstration flights across the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau.

So far, the ARJ21 has completed 25 routes, 55 flight segments, and 62 hours of flight missions, covering 11 ultra high-altitude airports, and has flown into Daocheng Yading Airport four times, fully verifying the adaptability of the ARJ21 to high-plateau operations.

Located 4,411 meters above sea level, Daocheng Yading Airport in Sichuan Province is the highest civil airport in China and the world.

The C919 has won more support from Chinese airlines, accelerating the commercial operation of the plane.

Also on Thursday, Guangzhou-based China Southern Airlines operated the maiden commercial flight of its first homemade C919 aircraft, becoming the third airline in China to use the aircraft after China Eastern Airlines and Air China.

The airline said that it plans to expand C919 services to more routes, including those from Guangzhou to Hangzhou and Beijing.