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| by DearEdward |
The C919 will be a single-aisle jet that will have a capacity of 168 passengers and will be China's first homegrown large passenger plane. The aircraft is being built by the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC).
In May 2009, Xi'an Aircraft International Corporation (XAIC) was contracted to manufacture six major components of the C919. XAIC, a subsidiary of China Aviation Industry Corporation (AVIC), already finished producing wing flaps, wing boxes, spoilers, airfoils, slats and the fuselage mid-section.
Last month, COMAC announced that it reached deals with Air China, China Southern Airlines, China Eastern Airlines, Hainan Airlines, CDB Leasing and GE Capital Aviation Services (GECAS) to construct one-hundred C919 jets.
COMAC also informed that it will first develop the 168-seat as well as the 156-seat models of the C919 jet. However, it is expected that additional versions will be manufactured in the near future, creating a new market for airplanes.
The first test flights are expected to take place in 2014 while the first deliveries will be in 2016 following a positive evaluation and certification from the General Administration of Civil Aviation.
Last month, Boeing projected that China is expected to become the world's number two plane market as it will require 4,330 new commercial airplanes valued at $480 billion over the 20 years. China's C919 will compete directly against the Boeing 737 and the Airbus A320.
Boeing's Vice President of Marketing for the company's commercial aircraft division, Randy Tinseth, said the Chicago-based company may redesign the 737 to compete with the C919 but a decision on whether to build a new 737 or update the plane with new engines is not near to be taken.
