(Yicai Global) Dec. 27 -- China Eastern Airlines has started a series of inspection flights for the first Comac C919 jet the carrier took delivery of earlier this month.

The test flights will ensure that the C919 gives passengers a good flight experience, an aviation sector insider told Yicai Global. The tests will continue until mid-February next year and involve 10 airports in nine Chinese cities, the person added.

The first-ever C919 aircraft, developed and manufactured by Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China, was delivered to China Eastern on Dec. 9, paving the way for the Shanghai-based airline to become the world’s first to operate the China-made large passenger plane.

China Eastern’s C919 flew from Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport to Beijing Capital International Airport yesterday, marking the start of 100 hours of inspection flights.

In each test flight, the C919 will simulate normal operations by flying between Hongqiao International and airports in Beijing, Chengdu, Xi’an, Haikou, Qingdao, Wuhan, Nanchang, and Jinan.

China Eastern, the first carrier to order the C919, has trained the plane’s first flight crew, including nine pilots, 24 flight attendants, and 13 maintenance workers. The second crew’s training is ongoing, Yicai Global learned. 

After the inspection flights are completed, the Civil Aviation Administration of China will review the results and confirm if China Eastern can safely operate the C919, granting the airliner an operating license if the review is passed. The first C919 will start flying passengers by next spring at the earliest, China Eastern said.

The C919 has between 158 and 168 seats. In March last year, China Eastern inked a deal with Comac to buy five. The remaining four will be delivered next year. 

At the recent China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition, Comac received orders for 300 C919 planes from seven leasing companies. China Development Bank Leasing, ICBC leasing, and CCB Financial Leasing were among the buyers. The total number of C919 ordered or intended to be ordered tops 1,100.

Editors: Dou Shicong, Martin Kadiev