China's first homegrown big passenger plane will make its maiden voyage in the first half of this year, state media said Monday, as the country seeks to challenge foreign giants Airbus and Boeing. The C919 narrow-body jet is expected to "realise its blue-sky flight dream" in the first six months of 2017, the People's Daily newspaper reported, with the installation of onboard systems almost completed.
The plane, produced by the state-owned Commercial Aircraft Corp of China (COMAC), was originally scheduled to make its debut journey in 2015, but the date was repeatedly pushed back as it underwent additional testing and certification.
For China, the aircraft represents at least eight years of effort in a state-mandated drive to reduce the country's reliance on European plane maker Airbus and Boeing of the United States and compete directly against them for market share. The first C919 rolled off the assembly line in November 2015 after workers spent more than a year putting together the single-aisle aircraft, which can seat 168 passengers. It is hoped the plane will take market share in the lucrative segment from the Boeing 737 and Airbus A320. In November COMAC said it had received 570 orders from 23 customers. China is one of the Western manufacturers' key battlegrounds, with its travellers taking to the skies in ever-growing numbers.
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