China on Wednesday approved large-scale production of its first long-haul civilian airliner, manufactured by state-owned COMAC, which aims to compete with Western builders Boeing and Airbus.
COMAC (Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China) obtained permission from the China Civil Aviation Administration to manufacture the C919, which conducted the first flight in May 2017, according to the official Chinese news agency Xinhua.
“The project must be completed properly,” Chinese President Xi Jinping said at the time, stressing the importance of “continuing work to overcome any difficulties.”
The first C919 is scheduled to be delivered to state-owned carrier China Eastern Airlines in December, with the aim of starting commercial flights next year.
COMAC was created in 2008 as part of Beijing’s efforts to make China competitive in high value-added industries and reduce dependence on foreign manufacturers.
COMAC indicated that the C919, which aims to compete with the 737, from Boeing North America, and with the A320, from the European Airbus, can carry between 158 and 168 passengers and range between 4,075 and 5,555 kilometers of autonomy.
The model also shows the progress made by China’s aviation sector, as it is a narrow-body aircraft, a part that currently accounts for more than half of the world’s operating commercial aircraft.
The aircraft has not yet received permission to fly from regulators in Europe and the United States.
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