China unveils homegrown jet
Print Edition
CHINA’S first homegrown large passenger plane — the twin-engine, narrow-body C919 jet — rolled off the assembly line in Shanghai yesterday, moving the country one step closer to its high-flying goal of becoming an advanced industrialized nation by 2020.
With its blue-and-green livery, a prototype of the airliner went on show at COMAC’s (Commercial Aircraft Corp of China) assembly and manufacturing center in the Pudong New Area, Its maiden flight is scheduled for next year.
The single-aisle C919 can carry 158 passengers in a two-class layout, 168 in all-economy mode and 174 in a high-density arrangement.
It has a standard range of about 4,075 kilometers, with the extended version capable of 5,555km, authorities said.
China hopes it will be able to break the stranglehold of the Airbus A320 and Boeing 737 in the market for planes with more than 100 seats.
In the future, COMAC plans to launch extended, shortened, cargo and business jet versions of the C919, it said.
The development of the aircraft is one of several initiatives launched by China designed to shift the focus of its economy from low-cost manufacturing to innovation and creativity, in fields such as aviation, clean energy among others.
“China’s air transport industry can’t completely rely on imports,” Li Jiaxiang, head of China’s civil aviation administration, said yesterday.
“A great nation must have its own large commercial aircraft,” he said.
The development of the plane still requires key contributions from 16 multinational companies, however.
The engine, for instance, is sourced from CFM International Inc, a joint venture between GE Aviation and a division of France’s Safran. COMAC has said it wants to develop its own engine in the future.
While the company has secured 517 orders for the plane from 21 customers, including several from overseas, delivery won’t be anytime soon, as the ongoing testing program is set to run for several years yet.
Following yesterday’s roll-out, the C919 will be undergo testing of its avionics, flight control and hydraulics, followed by airborne system integration tests.
Its development began in 2008, with initial plans calling for a first flight in 2014 and entry into full service in 2016.
The C919 is now set to go into service about 2019.
President Xi Jingping yesterday sent his congratulations to the 200,000 people involved in the seven-year development of the aircraft. He also appealed to COMAC to make “careful preparations” for its first flight.
Jin Zhuanglong, chairman of COMAC, said safety is the company’s top priority.
The ARJ21, a regional jet developed by COMAC, went through six years of testing before it received certification from the aviation authority last year. It is expected to go into full service next year, 10 years later than planned.
According to figures released by Airbus earlier this year, China will need 5,300 new passenger aircraft and freighters between 2014 and 2033 as it grows to become the world’s largest domestic aviation market.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
