The twin-engine ARJ21-700 has received its certificate from China&`&s Civil Aviation Administration after 5-thousand hours of test flights.
The ARJ21, which stands for Advanced Regional Jet for the 21st century, has undergone the longest period of testing of any plane currently flying around the world.
The regional jet, designed for short and middle distance travel, is able to accommodate 90 passengers in a full-economy design.
It has a maximum flight range of 2-thousand kilometers.
Dang Tiehong is the head of marketing with the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China, the company which has built the ARJ21.
"At the initial design stage, ARJ is targeting the domestic market and neighboring regions. We were thinking specifically about the plateau areas in the western part of China. The jet is very good for the conditions in plateaus and highlands."
The ARJ21 made its maiden flight in 2008.
Luo Ronghuai is the commander of the ARJ21 project.
"We chose Xinjiang&`&s capital Urumqi to run our anti-freezing tests. The testing took four years to complete, because we had trouble finding the right weather conditions. As such, we decided to take the jet overseas to run the tests. I t was a difficult decision at that time. Eventually, the jet flew over ten countries and 18 airports. "
The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration also ran a shadow certification process to ensure the approval by Chinese authorities is in line with FAA standards.
Zhang Hongying, the chief engineer of China&`&s Civil Aviation Administration, says the ARJ21 has a lot of potential.
"Through the approval of the jet, our domestic industry has been given a fresh start. Our work has laid a solid foundation for the development of larger passenger jets in the future."
So far, the ARJ21 has received over 270 orders from 17 different companies.
The jet is expected to be delivered to its clients this coming year.