China plane maker wins first orders for large jet

Nov 16, 2010, 7:26 GMT

Beijing - A Chinese aviation firm announced the first 100 orders for its large passenger plane Tuesday, marking an initial step towards its goal of rivalling global giants Boeing and Airbus.

The Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (Comac) said it had agreed to supply 100 Chinese-made C919 jumbo jets to flagship carrier Air China and five other airlines.

The orders would 'lay a solid foundation for further development' of the C919, state media quoted company chairman Zhang Qingweias saying at a ceremony to announce the orders during an aviation show in the southern city of Zhuhai.

The design for the single-aisle, 168-seat passenger jet would be finalized this year, with test flights scheduled for 2014 and the first deliveries in 2016, Zhang said.

Comac did not give the value of the orders. It said other customers included China Southern Airlines, China Eastern Airlines and US-based GE Capital Aviation Services (GECAS).

The company plans to display a full-size model of the plane this week at Airshow China 2010 in Zhuhai.

The government established COMAC in 2008 with the long-term aim of reducing China's reliance on Boeing and Airbus planes.

The firm has registered capital of 19 billion yuan (2.7 billion dollars) with the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission as its largest shareholder, the official Xinhua news agency reported.

Comac forecast that China would need more than 3,750 passenger jets to meet market demand over the next 20 years, adding to some 1,000 currently in service, the agency said.

During President Hu Jintao's visit to France earlier this month, Airbus confirmed orders for 102 planes from Chinese airlines.

The European plane maker opened its first assembly plant outside Europe in September 2008 in the port city Tianjin in a bid to win a bigger share of the Chinese market.

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