C919 likely to make first flight in H1

The domestically made passenger aircraft C919 has basically completed major ground tests and is expected to make its debut flight in the first half of 2017, the People's Daily reported Monday.

The C919, which rolled off the assembly line in November 2015, is now in the preparatory phase for its first flight, the report said.

The first C919 was sent to the trial flight center on December 25, 2016, news portal thepaper.cn reported.

China Eastern Airlines signed a contract with Commercial Aircraft Corp of China in November 2016 to become the first customer of the C919 in the world, according to media reports. The C919 has so far received about 570 orders.