The COMAC C919 is a narrow-body airliner developed by the Chinese aircraft manufacturer COMAC. The development program began in 2008. Prototype production began in December 2011, with the first prototype ready on November 2, 2015, and its first flight on May 5, 2017. The first commercial deliveries of the aircraft are expected in 2022 or 2023, to China Eastern Airlines. Primarily constructed of aluminum alloys, the aircraft is to be powered by either CFM International LEAP or ACAE CJ-1000A turbofan engines and is capable of carrying 156 to 168 passengers in normal operating configuration up to a range of 5,555 km (3,000 nmi).
China’s domestic C919 narrow-body jetliner, designed to challenge the Airbus-Boeing duopoly, is nearing certification as its test planes have completed all flight test tasks, the company said on Saturday. State-owned manufacturer Commercial Aircraft Corp of China (COMAC) said on its official social media account that six test aircraft have completed test tasks as the program enters the final stages of obtaining the certificate from the Civil Aviation Administration of China required for commercial operation.
This would mark a milestone in China’s ambitions to climb up the manufacturing supply chain. China’s COMAC is now virtually the third choice in the 100-plus-seat market after Boeing and Airbus struck deals to take over production of rival planes made by Embraer and Bombardier.The C919 aircraft program, designed to directly compete with Boeing’s 737 MAX and Airbus 320neo families, has faced a number of technical problems and tougher US export controls since its launch in 2008, Reuters reported.
The launch customer is the state-owned China Eastern Airlines, which placed an order for five C919 aircraft in March last year. The Changjiang Daily, a newspaper owned by the local government in Wuhan, said in a July 8 report that the airline is expected to take delivery of the first delivery in August.The aircraft, assembled in China, relies heavily on Western components, including engines and avionics.
