Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC) completed the maiden test flight of its new C919 high-altitude prototype aircraft on July 29, 2026. Taking off from Shanghai Pudong International Airport, the C919-600 aircraft prototype, currently bearing registration B-002U, completed an inaugural test flight lasting one hour and 59 minutes before landing back at the airport.
According to an official press release issued by COMAC following the flight, the C919-600 high-altitude prototype aircraft successfully executed all scheduled test flight maneuvers and planned evaluation items. The commercial aircraft manufacturer stated that the successful flight marked a significant step forward in the overall serial development of the C919 aircraft family.
Prior to conducting its maiden flight in Shanghai, the B-002U prototype completed ground taxi trials at Shanghai Pudong International Airport in June 2026. Those ground trials enabled engineering teams to validate the aircraft's ground handling characteristics and assess system performance before advancing the aircraft into its flight testing phase.
Developed based on the baseline C919 platform, the C919-600 high-altitude variant incorporates specific targeted design modifications. The aircraft's fuselage is around six frames shorter than the standard baseline version, accompanied by structural weight reduction and targeted onboard system enhancements designed to fulfill operational requirements at high-altitude airports.
The specialized high-altitude variant is being jointly developed by COMAC and Tibet Airlines, featuring a planned passenger seating capacity ranging between 140 and 160 passengers. Under Chinese civil aviation regulatory standards, commercial airports situated at elevations of 2,438 meters (8,000 feet) or higher are classified as high-altitude airports.
