The first MD90-30 commercial aircraft made in China acquired the certificate from the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on November 9, after it passed all flight tests.

This means that the country's aviation industry is capable of producing modern large-scale civilian airplanes, insiders here said.

The China Aviation Industry Corporation (CAIC), the predecessor of the China Aviation Industry Corporation I (CAIC I), signed an agreement in 1994 on cooperation with the former US MD Corporation to produce 20 MD90-30s.

This is another key Sino-American cooperative project, coming after the Shanghai Aviation Industry Corporation succeeded in making 35 MD82/83 planes together with MD.

Based on the agreement, MD is in charge of supplying raw materials, engines and technical support, and the CAIC is in charge of making the airframe, general assembly and test flights.

Four major aircraft manufacturers under the CAIC jointly undertook the production in 1995 and completed the first MD90-30 four years later.

According to experts, the MD90-30, a 150-seat brand-new commercial aircraft, is equipped with the advanced V2500 engine, which uses less oil and makes less noise.

The CAIC had planned to produce 20 such aircraft, but cut that figure down to two, because of the changes in the international market and the merger of Boeing and MD.

The first aircraft will be put into use soon and the second is expected to be delivered in February, 2000. (Xinhua)