Updating the reports on the ARJ21 regional jet program, a series of milestone tests have been passed over the last few months but have not been widely reported.
On September 21, 2012, 90 passengers and four crew members evacuated an aircraft in 57 seconds, well within the 90-second evacuation requirement.
The program has also completed water ingestion tests, airspeed calibration, natural icing, engine nacelle anti-icing and crosswind validation tests.
Chengdu Airlines was due to take delivery of its first aircraft by the end of 2011, but ongoing delays in the certification process have resulted in the aircraft not being delivered until at least the middle to late 2013 timeframe
