China's home-grown C919 jet nears certification as test planes complete tasks

China's homegrown C919 narrow-body jet is nearing certification as its test planes completed all of the test flight tasks, the company said on Saturday.

The state-owned manufacturer Commercial Aircraft Corp of China said on its official social media account that the six test planes have finished the testing tasks as the program enters the final stage of receiving a certificate from the Civil Aviation Administration of China which is required for commercial operations.

That would mark a milestone in China's aviation industry.

The launch customer is China Eastern Airlines, which has placed an order for five C919 jets in March last year. Changjiang Daily, a newspaper owned by the local government of Wuhan, said in a report on July 8 the airline is scheduled to take the first delivery in August.