C919 finishes 2nd test flight

China's home-grown large passenger aircraft C919 made its second test flight on Thursday, 146 days after its debut on May 5.

Taking off at 7:22 am from Shanghai Pudong International Airport, the C919 passenger jet flew to Nantong in Jiangsu province, northwest of Shanghai, and returned to Pudong airport at 10:08 am. On its second voyage, the jet's flight time increased from 79 minutes to 166 minutes.

"The C919's next goal is to complete the 1,400-km flight from Shanghai to Yanliang near Xi'an in Shaanxi province, where the Chinese Flight Test Establishment is located," said an official from the Commercial Aircraft Corp of China, the Shanghai-based manufacturer of the C919.