Travel In China: China's C919, C929 to take on Boeing, Airbus

(china.org) China's homegrown passenger jet C919 will roll off the production line on Nov. 2 and be put into operation on the third quarter of next year, and its wider "successor" C929 has entered the vital stage of research and development, according to Wang Jian, president of AVIC Electromechanical Systems Co., Ltd. at the Aero Electromechanics China 2015 held in Nanjing, capital of Jiangsu Province on Oct. 22.

The C919, built by state-owned enterprise Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC), is a single-aisle commercial liner designed to compete with the Boeing 737 and the Airbus A320. As the second homegrown passenger jet, after the Y-10, the jet has been favored by 21 clients worldwide and COMAC has received orders for a total of 514 jets.

Experts predict that the 156-seater single-aisle commercial liner will have a deep influence on China's big plane manufacturing and even high-end manufacturing industry as a whole. The total sales volume is expected to reach 2,000 after the jet hits the market.

In addition, research and development of the long-range, wide-body airliner C929 has now entered the critical stage with most of its technology breakthroughs credited to organizations based in Nanjing. Much larger than its predecessor, the C919, the 300-seater plane will adopt a homegrown engine and aims to replace the Boeing 777, aka the Jumbo Jet.

Wang said the C919 will make its maiden flight in Shanghai during the third quarter of next year, but may be delayed until 2017 due to safety concerns.

Source: china.org

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