100th A320 assembled in Tianjin ends test flight

The 100th A320 aircraft assembled in Tianjin on Airbus SAS's first final assembly line outside Europe completed its first test flight on Tuesday.

A captain, a pilot and two engineers conducted the flight, becoming the first all-Chinese test flight crew to do so in Airbus history.

The aircraft flew for three hours and 15 minutes on Tuesday. "All the functions of the aircraft were tested," said Zhao Weibo, flight captain.

The 158-seat airplane is due to be delivered to Air China Limited in late September. A total of 98 aircraft already have been delivered to 11 Chinese operators from Tianjin.

"Our commitment is to provide the very best aircraft and service to our customers and operators in China, and help develop and train Chinese aviation experts," said Laurence Barron, president of Airbus China.