chola wrote:So that means they were test flying with passengers on LSP machines at best? Could only happen in Cheen where life is cheap me thinks.
Hold on to that , If you say Cheeni life is cheap by Chini manager will kill me for reading that
You cant fly a civilian aircraft without getting a certification from the Local Civil Aviation authorities or if they wish for Wider Acceptance then EASA or FAA if you want to sell it in the US. So there is no such thing as Unsafe aircraft if you get that cerfied which Chini did with their local aviation authorities ..... Like getting DGCA certification for local build types first
Low flying numbers would indicate the Airlines may not be keen to buy it which can depend on multiple factor , Fuel Consumption being primary one this aircraft may not be competitive compared to other regional types likes Embraer or bombardier or Superjet , Other factor like cost , maintenance/spares ,incentives provided for initial buyers etc also goes into the decision.
I have not read much about this type to see how it compares with its western peers but I would say the factors mentioned above would lead to low flying number even if they have been flying since few years now.
I follow the Superjet program and Embraer RTA more closely so if you consider the new player Superjet in the market which is designed and built by Sukhoi for a 100 seater , They got the type EASA certified by 2012 and just two months back got the engine SaM146 ETOPS 120 certifed was not needed earlier because being a regional type they dont flying long but with Busness Jet variant flying more than 6500 km they had to ETOPS certify it.
https://www.superjetinternational.com/d ... ochure.pdf
Embraer is where it is today after 25 years and they have many new types in their fleet and likely Boeing will buy it out much like Airbus did with Bombardier to need 100-150 seater to their fleet.
I find their CR919 program interesting as they managed to build a A320NEO class Narrow Body which is a big achievement for any body to do , will keep a track of this program.
If you find a CR919 , 737MAX and AA320 NEO comparison do share