Army aviation: Adding wings to infantry
Old photos of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s father and his families
Bikini show in 2014 China Final of Miss Tourism World
Close-up view of August Aerobatic Team
Goddesses married in 2014
Polar region photos raise worldwide awareness of global warming
Get off at the last stop — Beijing Subway in vision
Top 100 beauties in the world!
Gallery: Who is the most beautiful one?
If you like autumn, put your hands in the air!
BEIJING, Dec. 30 -- China's first domestically produced regional jet was officially certified on Tuesday, marking a crucial step forward for the jet's entry into the market.
The ARJ21-700 won the certification after a series of examinations by the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) using the country's airworthiness standards.
The ARJ21, short for Advanced Regional Jet for the 21st Century, is a type of regional airliner designed and manufactured by the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC).
There are 78 seats in a dual-class configuration and 90 seats in a full economy class configuration. Its economic life is designed for 60,000 flying hours or 20 calendar years.
The first ARJ21-700 jet was designed and manufactured between 2003 and 2007 and made its first test flight in November 2008. Since then, the jet has completed more than 5,000 hours of test flights.
After the CAAC started the jet's certification process in 2012, a total of 300 ground examinations and more than 1,141 hours of test flights were carried out, the CAAC said.
Certification is not the end of the process, said Luo Ronghuai, vice president of COMAC and also head of the ARJ21 project.
There must be a period for improving the model's design, systems and operations before its entry into the market, Luo said.
The jet will still need to gain brand recognition and market share in order to be a success, and eventually it must be able to bring profits to the airlines that use it, he said.
Li Jiaxiang, head of the CAAC, rode the jet from Shanghai to Beijing on Tuesday, believing that "the jet can provide no less comfort than any plane I've ever taken."
After the certification, trial operations will be made. It will take at least three years to build systems for commercial operation and management.
The jet currently has 278 orders, COMAC data showed.
Tempting Yunnan cuisine
Joint anti-piracy drill
PLA conducts tactical drill in Tibet
Beautiful Chinese woman
Chestnut girl goes viral online
Time travel photos become a hit in military academies
Unknown 'monster' fish caught in Shandong
20 years on: Relocated Three Gorges residents through lens
PLA HK Garrison veterans leave behind beautiful smiles
Making sex safe
Gmail glitch fuels unnecessary speculation
Shenzhen imposes limits on purchases of new cars
A Hongkonger working with mainland media confronted by both sides in Occupy Central reportingDay|Week|Month