Comac has high hopes for C919 jet

COMAC says the high-altitude variant of China’s C919 completed its maiden test flight on Wednesday, moving the narrowbody program from a single baseline aircraft toward a broader family. The first plane flew for one hour and 59 minutes from Shanghai Pudong International Airport, completing all scheduled in-air test tasks before returning to land in Shanghai. COMAC said the new configuration uses a shortened fuselage and modified aircraft systems to handle thinner air and tougher takeoff and landing conditions typical of high elevations. Designed to seat 140 to 160 passengers, it targets all of China’s high-altitude airports, defined by civil rules as elevations of at least 2,438 meters.