China's state-owned COMAC flew its 10-tonne CE-25A electric aircraft with three crew aboard on November 14 in Binzhou, Shandong, covering 60.4 km in 16 minutes 38 seconds.
China's state-owned Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC) completed the first crewed flight of its CE-25A electric passenger aircraft on November 14 in Binzhou, Shandong Province, according to state media reports carried by CCTV News and Xinhua.
Two pilots and a flight test engineer were aboard the aircraft. The full flight test lasted 57 minutes and 46 seconds, of which the aircraft was airborne for 16 minutes and 38 seconds, covering 60.4 kilometres. COMAC said the aircraft operated normally and all indicators met expectations.
The CE-25A is a 10-tonne electric commercial aircraft designed for short-haul intercity routes. Its specifications, as listed by COMAC and reported by state media, are:
The aircraft uses a distributed electric ducted-fan propulsion system mounted on its wings. It was developed jointly by COMAC, battery maker Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Limited (CATL), Shanghai Jiao Tong University and other partners.
The crewed flight follows the aircraft's first uncrewed autonomous flight on February 2, 2026, and 19 uncrewed autonomous verification flights completed since then. The Civil Aviation Administration of China has accepted COMAC's application for a type certificate under CCAR-25, China's airworthiness standard for transport-category aircraft. COMAC has not given a timeline for certification or commercial service, and acceptance of the application does not equal approval for commercial operation.
Sources
This article was drafted with AI assistance and checked against the sources above. Company claims are reported as claims. Cover image is AI-generated.
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