The Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China Ltd. (COMAC) said the plane took off at 12:23 p.m. and flew for an hour before returning to the Shanghai Aircraft Manufacturing Factory, where the jet was built at the end of last year.
The 90-seat ARJ21-700 jet is around 33 meters long and has a 27-meter wing span. Its maximum range is 3,700 kilometers, and its maximum altitude is 11,900 meters, COMAC General Manager Jin Zhuanglong said.
The company said deliveries of the aircraft will begin in less than 18 months, after a series of trial flights. Six ARJ21 aircraft have so far been produced, all of which are undergoing flight tests. COMAC said 20 of the planes can be built annually.
A total of 208 ARJ21-700s, each selling for $27 million, have been ordered so far, including 25 by the U.S. company GE Commercial Aviation Services.
