SHANGHAI – To compete against western rivals in the high-stakes international aviation market, China is now counting on the narrow-body, single-aisle C919, China’s newest and biggest homegrown commercial jetliner. 

Commercial Aircraft Corp. of China, one of the largest aviation leader of the country now plans to build an assembly line for its homegrown C919 jetliners in Shanghai. Contributing to the latest step in china’s ambitions to become a leader in world aviation, the company announced the showcase project following a signing ceremony with officials of Shanghai’s Pudong district, where the plant will be located. 

Construction of the factory is to begin soon, with capacity to reach 20 C919s and 50 ARJ 21-series regional jets by 2016, the company, which is also known as COMAC, said in a statement. Shanghai-based COMAC was set up in 2008 to develop and build passenger aircraft. The company also has research and development facilities in Pudong.

The C919 is due to make its maiden flight by 2014 and to begin deliveries to customers by 2016. It is intended as a single-aisle airliner to target the short and medium haul markets in eight to ten years. C919 has a standard range of 4,075 kilometers, and the extended range can reach a maximum of 5,555 kilometers. It has a designed capacity of 168 seats for the full economy class version and 156 seats for mixed class version.

COMAC was set up with state approval in 2008 to develop China’s first home-grown jumbo jet. It has a registered capital of 19 billion yuan (2.78 billion U.S. dollars), with the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission as the biggest shareholder.  If successful, COMAC plans to produce 50 C919 aircraft each year at the early stage and annual production could reach 100 or even more at a later stage, depending on how it is received by the market.

Earlier, General Electric’s aviation unit teamed up with Aviation Industry Corp. of China, COMAC’s state-run parent company, to develop and market electronic systems for commercial aircraft customers, including the C919 narrow-body aircraft.

GE is also supplying engines for the 70 to 110-seat ARJ-21 passenger jet, designed for the local market.

China’s huge aviation market has continued to grow quickly, despite the world economic slump. Air passenger traffic rose nearly 20 percent in the first 10 months of the year from the year before, to 191.9 million, according to the country’s Civil Aviation Administration.

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