Second C919 jet makes maiden test flight

The second plane of China's homegrown large passenger plane, the C919, takes off from Pudong International Airport in Shanghai, east China, Dec. 17, 2017. The second plane of the C919 made its first test flight in Shanghai on Sunday. (Xinhua/Ding Ting)

A second prototype of China's large passenger jet C919 completed its maiden flight in Shanghai Sunday, which was marked as a step closer to China becoming a global aviation powerhouse.

The domestic jet took off shortly after 10:30 a.m. in Shanghai Pudong International Airport and the flight lasted around 2 hours. It tested the performance of the C919 major systems and equipment, such as taking-off and landing, navigation and communication, speed acceleration and deceleration.

The first C919 made its maiden flight in May. It conducted its first intercity test flight in November.

The Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China plans to produce six aircraft for flight testing. More than 1,000 tests will be carried out.

With a standard range of 4,075 kilometers, the C919 jet is comparable to the updated Airbus 320 and Boeing's new generation 737.