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First ‘made in China’ passenger jet unveiled

The C919 can seat up to 158 passengers and is meant to compete with single-aisle jets by Airbus and Boeing.

C919 passenger plane made by The Commercial Aircraft Corp. of China
The first twin-engine 158-seater C919 passenger plane created by COMAC was presented during a ceremony at the company's hangar near the Pudong International Airport in Shanghai, China on Monday, Nov 2, 2015. [AP Photo]
Published On 2 Nov 2015

A state-owned manufacturer on Monday unveiled the first plane produced by a Chinese initiative to compete in the market for large passenger jetliners.

China is one of the biggest aviation markets but relies on Boeing and Airbus aircraft. The multibillion-dollar effort to create the homegrown C919 jetliner is aimed at clawing back some of the commercial benefits that flow to foreign suppliers.

The Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC) showed off the first of the twin-engine planes in a ceremony attended by some 4,000 government officials and other guests at a hangar near Shanghai’s Pudong International Airport.

C919 passenger plane made by The Commercial Aircraft Corp. of China
China has spent seven years and a huge amount of money to develop the 158-seat jet to boost its aviation industry, posing a challenge to Airbus and Boeing. [EPA/Stringer]
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C919 passenger plane made by The Commercial Aircraft Corp. of China
The C919 passenger plane is the first plane produced by a Chinese government initiative to compete in the market of large passenger jetliners. [AP Photo]
C919 passenger plane made by The Commercial Aircraft Corp. of China
The ceremony was attended by several hundred dignitaries and factory workers who built the first C919 passenger jetliner at the state-owned COMAC. [EPA/Stringer]
C919 passenger plane made by The Commercial Aircraft Corp. of China
The ruling Communist Party wants to claw back some of the commercial benefits that flow to foreign suppliers as China's aviation market is growing fast - though it relies on Boeing and Airbus aircraft. [EPA/Stringer]
C919 passenger plane made by The Commercial Aircraft Corp. of China
'China's air transport industry cannot completely rely on imports. A great nation must have its own large commercial aircraft,' said the country's Civil Aviation Chief Li Jiaxiang. [EPA/Stringer]
C919 passenger plane made by The Commercial Aircraft Corp. of China
COMAC chairman Jin Zhuanglong said the aircraft, which has a range of up to 5,555 kilometres, will make its first test flight in 2016. [AP Photo]
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C919 passenger plane made by The Commercial Aircraft Corp. of China
The company already has orders for 517 of its C919 planes, according to a COMAC statement, almost all of them from domestic buyers. [EPA/Stringer]