Comac’s C919 will undergo a series of test flights for high-altitude operations, as the airframer continues to develop the high-altitude variant of the narrowbody programme.
The disclosure comes as a C919 (B-001G) completed a demonstration flight in China’s mountainous Tibet region, operating a 2h 8min flight from Chengdu to Lhasa.
Lhasa’s Gonggar airport sits about 3,569m (11,709ft) above sea level and is one of the 24 airports across the country classified as high-altitude – sitting at 2,438m or above.
Comac is developing a high-altitude variant of its C919 narrowbody, and has secured commitments for 40 aircraft from launch customer Tibet Airlines.
“[Comac] will carry out tests… of systems critical to high-altitude operations, such as avionics and power units, as well as high-altitude airport adaptability checks,” states the Shanghai-based airframer.
Comac’s ARJ21 regional jet is already deployed to high-altitude airfields, with prolific operator Chengdu Airlines using the type in China’s Xinjiang region.
Comac adds that the ARJ21 has also performed demonstration flights to Daocheng Yading airport, the highest altitude airport in the world. This, it states, “fully verifies the adaptability of the ARJ21 to high-altitude operations”.
