Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC) has completed the maiden test flight of its new compact C919 aircraft variant in Shanghai.
On July 29, 2026, COMAC said its first C919 high-altitude prototype flew for one hour and 59 minutes after departing Shanghai Pudong International Airport (PVG).
According to COMAC, the C919-600, currently registered B-002U, completed “all scheduled test flight maneuvers”, marking a marking a “significant step forward in the C919 series development”.
“Based on the basic model, the C919 high-altitude prototype incorporates targeted design features such as a shorter fuselage and improved system functions to meet the requirements of high-altitude operations,” COMAC said in a press release following the flight.
Flightradar24 data reported that the C919-600 took off from Shanghai Pudong at 07:59 and landed back at the airport at 09:58.
Comac C919-600 plateau variant just completed its maiden flight in shanghai pudong international airport pic.twitter.com/q6pvAVyZg4
— David Wang (@DavidWangPLA) July 29, 2026
The aircraft is being jointly developed by COMAC and Tibet Airlines with capacity for between 140 and 160 passengers.
The standard C919 has between 158 and 192 seats depending on the configuration and entered service in 2022.
In June 2026, the half-year old C919-600 aircraft was pictured conducting ground tests ahead of the first flight this month.
The first C919 high-altitude variant (C919-600, B-002U) made its maiden flight from Pudong. Flight time: 1 h 59 min. All scheduled test items completed according to COMAC.
— Fahad Naim (@Fahadnaimb) July 29, 2026
Key differences from the baseline C919: shortened fuselage (six frames removed) and targeted system… pic.twitter.com/6iIRF82prf
The C919-600’s fuselage is around six frames shorter than the standard version and has been designed to operate effectively in high-altitude regions like the Tibetan Plateau.