today made its maiden test flight from
Shanghai, a symbolic milestone in China's long-
term goal to break into the Western-dominated
aircraft market.
The narrow-body C919 jet — white with green
and blue stripes — soared over Pudong
international airport in the commercial hub
Shanghai as a crowd of thousands cheered.
Built by state-owned aerospace manufacturer
Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China
(COMAC), the plane represents nearly a decade
of effort in a government-mandated drive to
reduce dependence on European consortium
Airbus and US aerospace giant Boeing.
With the takeoff, China's official Xinhua News
Agency said the country had become "one of the
world's top makers of jumbo aircraft," becoming
the fourth jumbo jet producer after the U.S.,
Europe
and Russia.
China is touting the C919 as a rival to single-
aisle jets the Airbus A320 and Boeing 737.
It was originally due to fly in 2014 before being
delivered to buyers in 2016, but has been beset
by delays blamed on manufacturing problems.
It's now unlikely to carry commercial
passengers until at least 2019.
If the one-and-a-half-hour test flight is
successful, the aircraft's maker, state-owned
Commercial Aircraft Corp. of China Ltd., or
Comac, will then seek certification from China's
civil aviation authority and foreign regulators
before making any deliveries.
Bao Pengli, deputy director of Comac's project
management department, said Thursday the
manufacturer planned to make two planes a year
from now to 2019 to obtain proof of safe flight,
before any mass production would be started.
The plane can come with 155-175 seats and has
a standard flight length of 4,075 kilometers
(2,530 miles).
The jet's development is a key step on the path
laid out by Chinese leaders to transform the
country from the world's low-cost factory into a
creator of profitable technology.
china sha!
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