CHINA’S Commercial Aircraft Corp. (COMAC) is expected to launch the inaugural flight of the much-delayed C919 narrowbody in May, according to the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC).

    CAAC said the flight will take place at the Shanghai Pudong Airport on the fourth runway, which is 3,800 meters long and 60 meters wide, and can accommodate various aircraft types, including the Airbus A380. The fifth runway, which is specifically designed for the C919 at 3,400 meters long and 45 meters wide, is still under construction and not expected to go into formal operations until the second half of this year.

    The 158-seat C919 was originally scheduled to operate its maiden flight in 2014 followed by first delivery to Chengdu Airlines. However, the aircraft was not rolled out until October 2015 following program delays. COMAC said at the time it had been aiming for first flight in 2016.

    The C919 started production in 2008 with a mixed cabin configuration of 158 seats and all-economy class of 168 seats.

    The C919 has secured 570 orders from 23 Chinese and foreign customers. China Eastern will be the launch customer.

    By 2035, COMAC aims to take a third of the Chinese narrowbody market and a fifth of the global market. The manufacturer has committed to producing between 20 and 50 C919s annually and to increasing annual production capability to 150 C919s and 50 ARJ21 regional aircraft by 2020.(SD-Agencies)

Caption:

Models of the ARJ21 regional jet from Commercial Aircraft Corp. of China (COMAC) are displayed at the Aviation Expo China 2015 in Beijing, on Sept. 16, 2015. The manufacturer has committed to producing between 20 and 50 C919s annually and to increasing annual production capability to 150 C919s and 50 ARJ21 regional aircraft by 2020.SD-Agencies