FAA to accept type certification on ARJ21-700

The United States Federation Aviation Administration (FAA) will accept a type certification application of AVIC I Commercial Aircraft Company’s ARJ21-700 that will be sent by the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC). The announcement was made by an FAA official in the China-US Bilateral Airworthiness Senior Management Meeting held in Xi’an on April 2. The FAA will develop a shadow certification for ARJ21-700 under the current transport aircraft airworthiness standards. The preparatory work for the shadow certification has started, which is an important element in the ARJ21-700 application for the type certification. Earning an FAA type certification is a precondition for the ARJ21-700 to enter the world market, an important goal in the aircraft airworthiness examination. Since 2003, bilateral airworthiness authorities from China and the US have negotiated several times about the ARJ21-700 application for FAA type certification and the shadow certification. The FAA established the CAAC Technology Support Office in Shanghai and Beijing. The FAA’s approval of the type certification is a result of the common effort of ACAC and CAA. At the meeting, Luo Ronghuai, assistant general manager of AVIC 1 and general manager of ACAC, said ACAC would follow the strict airworthiness standards of the CAAC and FAA.