China's first self-developed airliner, the COMAC ARJ21-700, has been granted a type certificate by Civil Aviation Authority of the Republic of Congo, marking the first foreign validation for the regional jet and a move that will allow the Chinese-made plane to start flying in the country.

Timing for the delivery of the first ARJ21 into Congo has not been firmed, but both countries will work on pilot training as well as maintenance of the aircraft, as it prepares to take delivery of the type, COMAC said in a statement.

Congo's Ministry of Transport placed a firm order for three ARJ21-700s, including two baseline passenger aircraft and one business jet variant, at Airshow China in November 2014. It then became the first African country to purchase and operate the ARJ21 aircraft.

On December 30, 2014, the ARJ21-700 was awarded type certification by the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC), but has yet to receive certification from either the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration or the European Aviation Safety Agency.

The ARJ21-700, dubbed the "Flying Phoenix," entered commercial service with Chengdu Airlines in June 28, 2016. COMAC meanwhile said that the two ARJ21s delivered to regional carrier have achieved "good market performance", and that it has also received positive feedback from passengers about the jet.

So far, COMAC has won 413 orders for the ARJ21s from 19 customers.

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