China's first domestically-developed large passenger jet, the C919, will make its maiden flight in the next six months, according to the Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC), the Economic Information Daily reported on Monday.
It is hoped that the jet will accelerate not only the development of China's aircraft industry but help develop an aviation industry cluster.
The C919, which rolled off the production line in November 2015, should be able to pass the mandatory technical tests by 2017 at the soonest and be delivered to buyers, according to Jin Zhuanglong, chairman of the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC), which manufactures the jet.
AVIC is COMAC's second largest shareholder and has played the role of supplier in the project.
The C919 has 158 seats and a standard flight range of 4,075 kilometers, and has been marketed as competitor for the Boeing 737 and Airbus 320.
A total of 517 C919s have been ordered by 21 customers so far and COMAC estimates that 2,000 will be sold by 2030, which will bring in over $100 billion in revenue.
Aside from domestic airlines, Germany's Puren Air, Thailand City Airways and the US-based GECAS have already put in orders.
It is hoped that the C919 will help China chip away at Western domination of the large aircraft industry.
There are also hopes that it will spur an industry cluster, in which several companies in a region are linked by a common product or market.
The whole market may be worth trillions of dollars once the industry cluster assembles, according to a Shenwan Hongyuan Securities report.
