China completes maiden piloted flight of 19-seat electric passenger plane
The 10-tonne CE-25A aircraft covered 60.4 km during its test flight in Shandong province.
The state-owned Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC) successfully completed the maiden piloted flight of the CE-25A electric passenger aircraft on November 14 in Shandong province, according to the Times of India.
The 10-tonne aircraft carried three crew members, including two pilots and a flight-test engineer. While the total flight test lasted 57 minutes and 46 seconds, the aircraft was airborne for 16 minutes and 38 seconds and covered a distance of 60.4 km, as reported by CCTV.
The CE-25A is designed to carry 19 passengers over distances of up to 400 km with a cruising speed of 300 kmph. It uses a distributed electric ducted-fan propulsion system where multiple electric fans mounted along the wings are powered by a battery system.
Developed by COMAC in collaboration with Shanghai Jiao Tong University and battery manufacturer CATL, the aircraft is intended for short-distance regional transport. The test follows an unmanned autonomous flight on February 2, 2026, and 19 unmanned flight-validation exercises.
The aircraft is being developed under the CCAR-25 transport-category airworthiness regulations. Xinhua reported that the Civil Aviation Administration of China has accepted the application for a type certificate for the aircraft.
