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IT Home reported on November 14, citing a CCTV News report today, that the CE-25A, a 10-ton-class electric commercial aircraft developed by COMAC, completed its first piloted intelligent flight in Binzhou, Shandong.
The aircraft carried 2 pilots and 1 flight test engineer that day. Its condition remained normal throughout the flight, and all indicators met expectations. This marks another milestone in its development following its first unpiloted intelligent flight on February 2, 2026.
The CE-25A is COMAC’s first electric commercial aircraft. Designed for commercial flights between cities, it can carry 19 passengers and has a maximum takeoff weight of 10 tons, a cruising speed of 300 kilometers per hour, a cruising altitude of 2,400 meters, and a range of 400 kilometers.
The key feature of this flight was the combination of “piloted” and “intelligent flight.” All 19 previous validation flights were unpiloted autonomous flights. Piloted intelligent flight means that, with pilots in the cockpit, the aircraft can still complete its flight mission using autonomous systems, while the pilots can monitor and intervene as part of the control loop. From an engineering validation perspective, this is closer than a solely unpiloted first flight to the real-world “pilot + intelligent system” collaboration expected in future commercial operations.
In terms of propulsion architecture, the CE-25A uses a wing-mounted distributed electric ducted propulsion system (IT Home note: A distributed electric ducted propulsion system places multiple lower-power electric ducted fans across the wings in place of a few high-power engines, using the divisible nature of electric motor power to improve fault tolerance and aerodynamic efficiency). Publicly available information shows that the CE-25A has 5 electric ducted fans integrated into each wing, for a total of 10. This layout allows the aircraft to maintain controlled flight if some propulsion units fail, while also reducing the impact of a single-point failure on the safety of the aircraft as a whole.
The CE-25A was jointly developed by COMAC, CATL, Shanghai Jiao Tong University and others. In July 2023, CATL, COMAC and Shanghai Jiao Tong University Enterprise Development Group jointly established COMAC Times (Shanghai) Aviation Co., Ltd. CATL and COMAC each hold a 47% stake, and the venture focuses on developing electric aviation propulsion systems.
The CE-25A is a 19-seat, all-electric distributed-propulsion demonstrator developed by COMAC Times. Publicly available information says it carries a condensed-matter battery with an energy density of 500 Wh/kg and has a design range of 400 to 500 kilometers. The significance of the condensed-matter battery here lies not simply in its energy-density figure, but in the need to meet aviation-grade requirements for protection against thermal runaway and for cycle life, which differ markedly from the validation criteria for automotive batteries.
Before the CE-25A’s piloted flight, the aircraft completed ground taxi tests in late October 2026, moving from scale models and drawings to testing of the actual aircraft. To date, the CE-25A has completed 19 unpiloted autonomous flight validation tests, and the Civil Aviation Administration of China has accepted its application for a type certificate. A type certificate is a prerequisite for an electric commercial aircraft to enter commercial passenger service. Acceptance of the application means the airworthiness certification process has formally begun, but extensive compliance testing and review are still required before certification and the start of commercial operations.