China-developed commercial airliner C919 has edged a step closer to takeoff after the plane's developers put it through a high-speed taxi test on Sunday morning at Shanghai Pudong International Airport.
The test started at 8:00 am and lasted for three hours. The plane reached a top speed of approximately 248 kilometers per hour, approaching the speed required for takeoff and landing.
C919's developer, the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC), is expected to launch a test flight of the aircraft in the first half of this year.
The C919, designed to accommodate over 150 passengers, is a narrow-body plane. Its main rivals on the market will include Airbus 320 and Boeing 737. The COMAC also plans to start developing wide-body aircraft in 2017.

TAP Air Portugal successfully conducted operational tests of a new lightweight aircraft paint technology capable of reducing the weight of its aircraft by up to 26 kg per plane. This innovation is par...
Air India, SkyDrive and Suzuki Motor Corporation signed a memorandum of understanding to conduct a joint feasibility study on the use of eVTOL aircraft for medical air logistics in India. In...
The Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore has awarded Thales a landmark contract to develop a new NexGen Air Traffic Management System (ATMS) and air traffic control radars, marking a major step towar...
Daher Aircraft has delivered the 400th Kodiak, marking a significant achievement for the multi-role airplane family as its customer base continues to expand across government, commercial, business and...