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EASA accelerates COMAC C919 certification test campaign in Shanghai, but EU validation timeline still stretches 3–6 years

EASA has stepped up its COMAC C919 certification effort with an increasingly near-permanent test presence in Shanghai, following continued flight-test activity that is positioned as a “final exam” followed by analysis, paperwork and technical verification. Sources also cite political considerations and a remaining 3–6 year horizon before EU validation could be in place.

Discovered 2026-04-12T19:16:24.028065-07:00 | 2026-04-12T19:16:24.028065-07:00

Briefing

What Hype is tracking

EASA’s intensified Shanghai testing is the clearest indicator yet that the EU certification pathway is moving from engagement to execution, building on earlier EASA validation flights for potential recognition (see EASA conducts validation test flights of COMAC C919).
The reporting suggests a “final exam” phase is underway, but the EU validation window remains multi-year (3–6 years), directly affecting how airlines and lessors model the C919’s entry timing into Western markets.
The cluster flags that technical work is not happening in isolation—“political considerations” are explicitly in play—so certification progress may not translate to predictable schedule outcomes for European fleet planning (context: likely longer-term fleet adoption timelines for C919 in Asia (see Asian carriers eye COMAC C919 as A320/737 alternative)).

Reported By

Aviacionline air-journal.fr Air Data News Aviation A2Z South China Morning Post