State-owned manufacturer Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China, Ltd. (COMAC) has run the engines installed on the C919 flight test aircraft for the first time.
The CFM Leap 1C engines powered up for the first time on the C919 prototype (serial number 10001) on November 9, marking a long-awaited milestone on the road to its maiden flight.
CFM International, the largest jet engine manufacturer worldwide as well as the exclusive engine supplier for the home-made aircraft C919, delivered the first C919 engines last July but not run for the initial time until Nov. 9 of this year.
The home-made aircraft is scheduled to make its first flight at the end of this year or early 2017.
Shanghai-based China Eastern Airlines will become the first customer to take delivery of the C919, the Chinese airframer said during this year’s Zhuhai airshow.
So far, COMAC has received 570 orders for the C919 from 23 customers, including Air China and China Southern Airlines.
Besides, CFM announced at Zhuhai Airshow it plans to begin offering LEAP-1C line maintenance training at the Aero Engine Maintenance and Training Center (AEMTC) in Guanghan City of Sichuan Province.
China Aviation Daily
Maiden engine run up for COMAC C919
