Big orders for China’s own C919 airliner

Beijing (CNS) -- The Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC) announced its receipt of a large order for 235 of its commercial airliner C919, COMAC President Jin Zhuanglong revealed on Tuesday.

Expected to be put into operation in 2014, the 168 to 190-seat narrow-bodied airliner is China's largest domestic aircraft and a domestically-developed competitor to rival the Boeing 737 and A320. COMAC will focus on the Chinese market for this craft.

The standard version of the model will have a range of 4,075 km, and the extended-range version reaches 5,555 km. Both have a life span of 90,000 hours.

COMAC outlined the timetable from production to delivery for the C919: the detailed design will be completed in 2012, first flight expected in 2014, certification for airworthiness will be attained and orders fulfilled by 2016. The goal for the product line is for it to take its place in the mid to short-range commercial aircraft market eight to ten years hence.

Air China, China Southern Airlines, and China Eastern Airlines are currently the biggest clients of C919 airliners.

Jin added that COMAC's jet liner ARJ21-700 has passed all slow tests, bird-strike tests and fatigue tests required for license application, and four planes of this type have aced their trial flights.