New aircraft prepares for takeoff

China's first domestically developed large passenger aircraft, the C919, rolled off the final assembly line in Shanghai on Nov 2.

The plane, which aims to compete with the Airbus 320 and Boeing 737 globally, is ready for ground tests and is expected to make its maiden flight next year.

It took seven years for it to progress from the project launch stage to the rollout.

Unveiling of the first prototype of the C919 is celebrated. The plane came off the assembly line on Nov 2 in Shanghai. Yin Liqin / For China Daily

Vice-Premier Ma Kai said at the rollout ceremony: "The research and development of a big passenger aircraft is a complex systematic engineering project, and the rollout is an important milestone for this project."

The C919 has entered a key stage in preparing for its maiden flight, and the manufacturer also faces tough tasks ahead, Ma said.

Jin Zhuanglong, chairman of Commercial Aircraft Corp of China, which built the C919, says that before the maiden flight. The aircraft will face a wide range of tests.

Li Jiaxiang, head of the Civil Aviation Administration of China, says the domestic civil aviation industry has been calling for a domestically developed aircraft to be put into operation as soon as possible.

Li said 2,635 transport aircraft had been registered with the administration so far this year, but only 23 were domestically manufactured.

"There is an urgent need to make China strong in civil aviation," Li said.

The manufacturer has received 517 orders for the C919 from 21 customers globally, including leading domestic carriers and leasing companies.

Minister of Industry and Information Technology Miao Wei says the aircraft's rollout marks a solid step in thoroughly implementing the "Made in China 2025" strategy and accelerating the nation's progress to becoming a strong manufacturer.

"The next 15 to 20 years will be important for opportunities to develop China's civil aviation industry."

The implementation of the Belt and Road Initiative provides more scope for China's aviation industry to broaden international collaboration from which everyone benefits, he says.

Sixteen joint ventures have been set up between Commercial Aircraft Corp of China's foreign suppliers and Chinese aviation manufacturers nationwide. More than 100,000 people from more than 200 companies in 22 Chinese provinces have taken part in the C919 project.

The short-to-medium-range single-aisle jet can seat between 158 and 174 passengers and has a standard range of 4,075 kilometers.

Apart from the basic version of the aircraft, the manufacturer will also build extended, shortened and cargo versions along with a business jet.

With manufacturing capacity comparable to global standards, the corporation's assembly and manufacturing center in Shanghai's Pudong district has set up five assembly lines for the C919.

wangwen@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily Africa Weekly 11/06/2015 page16)