China’s Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC) flew its CE-25A electric aircraft with a crew for the first time Nov. 14, as it moved toward passenger certification, NDTV reported.
The Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) accepted the aircraft’s type-certificate application, NDTV reported. NDTV reported that type-certificate acceptance is a mandatory regulatory step before the aircraft can be approved for regular commercial passenger service.
The test took place in Binzhou, Shandong province. CCTV reported that the aircraft carried two pilots and a flight test engineer. COMAC put total test time at 57 minutes and 46 seconds. The aircraft spent just over 16 minutes in the air and traveled 60.4 kilometers. Engineers said systems operated normally and the aircraft performed as expected.
The aircraft first flew autonomously on Feb. 2 and completed 19 crewless validation flights before the piloted test, NDTV reported.
Global Times reported that the CE-25A is intended for intercity travel and has capacity for 19 passengers. Its reported maximum takeoff weight is 10 metric tons, cruising speed is 300 kilometers per hour, cruising altitude is 2,400 meters and range is 400 kilometers.
