With the continuous development of China's aviation industry, the high-profile domestic large aircraft C919 has also made gratifying progress. Recently, Gu Xin, director of the Shanghai Certification Center of the Civil Aviation of China, revealed, "According to our plan, C919 is expected to obtain EU airworthiness certification in 2025." ”
The domestic large aircraft C919 is the pride of China's civil aviation industry, after years of research and development and test flights, has obtained the CAAC airworthiness certificate of China's civil aviation, and has been in commercial operation on Beijing-Shanghai, Shanghai-Rong, Shanghai-Shaanxi and other domestic routes. In order to further expand the influence and enhance the market competitiveness of domestic large aircraft, C919 has started the type certification work of the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) very early.
The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) is the largest civil aviation safety regulator in Europe, and one of the world's three major aviation regulators, along with the FAA of the United States and CAAC of China. Obtaining EASA type approval means that the C919 meets the highest international aviation safety standards recognized globally, which will further enhance its competitiveness in the global aviation market.
In order to obtain EASA's type approval, COMAC has carried out close technical exchanges and cooperation with EASA as early as the R&D and production process of C919. In accordance with the requirements of EASA, COMAC has carried out a large number of tests and verification work to ensure that the design and manufacture of the C919 meets international airworthiness standards. At the same time, EASA's experts also conducted a rigorous review of COMAC's R&D and production process to ensure the quality and safety of the C919.
EASA's type approval process is not easy and requires rigorous review and testing. However, COMAC is confident that it will achieve this important achievement in 2025. Because the R&D and production process of C919 has fully considered the airworthiness requirements of EASA, it has the conditions to obtain type approval. In addition, COMAC is also actively preparing for the relevant validation work to ensure that it successfully passes the EASA review.
If the C919 successfully obtains EASA type approval in 2025, it will be a major breakthrough in China's civil aviation industry, which will greatly enhance COMAC's international influence and market position, and increase the competitiveness and recognition of C919 in the international market. At the same time, the C919 will also gain more international market share. EASA's type approval will also provide more technology and experience for the R&D and production of subsequent batches and new models of COMAC, and help it continuously improve product quality and performance.
At the same time, COMAC is also actively promoting the research and development of the first domestic wide-body aircraft C929. The C929 is a widebody aircraft that will offer greater passenger capacity and longer range. Compared to the C919, the C929 is designed to be more advanced, incorporating many new technologies and materials, such as large-scale applied composite materials and advanced avionics systems, to improve the performance and efficiency of the aircraft. The development of the C929 requires not only a technological breakthrough, but also a number of engineering and manufacturing challenges to overcome.
The C929 is currently in the detailed design and engineering prototype manufacturing stage, and is expected to submit an airworthiness certification application to the Civil Aviation of China by the end of 2024. According to Jie Yuwen, deputy director of the Shanghai Certification Center of the Civil Aviation of China and head of the C919 aircraft review team, the C929 will continue to follow the "main manufacturer-supplier" model of the C919 and conduct close technical exchanges with COMAC. Through early intervention, we can better formulate standards and technical specifications for COMAC, and identify and solve technical problems in a timely manner.
The length of validation time will be determined by CAAC according to the complexity of the aircraft and the requirements of relevant regulations. The validation of C919 took 13 years and is expected to be completed in no more than 10 years. It is worth mentioning that when C929 submits the validation application of China's civil aviation, it will also carry out the application for EASA certification in Europe at the same time.