C919 roll-out. (Photo : Getty Images)
The long-delayed Comac C919, China's first indigenous passenger jetliner, will make its first flight before the end of June and might enter commercial service by 2019.
A joint project of state-owned Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China Ltd (Comac) and Irish low-cost airline Ryanair, the C919 is part of China's long-term goal to break Airbus and Boeing's duopoly.
The plane will compete against the Airbus A320neo; the Boeing 737 MAX; the Bombardier CSeries and Russia's Irkut MC-21 -- all of which are modern short- to medium-range twinjet narrow-body airliners.
Comac C919 is a family of 158- to 174-seat narrow-body twin-engine jet airliners. It will be the largest commercial airliner designed and built in China since the defunct Shanghai Y-10.
First deliveries of the C919 are scheduled for late 2018. The roll-out for the C919 was held in Shanghai on Nov. 2, 2015.
Comac plans to initially produce five to 10 C919's every year, subsequently increasing the number to 150 C919s. It plans to manufacture up to 2,300 aircraft of the C919 family.
Interestingly, the C919's advanced aerodynamics was engineered with the help of the Tianhe-2 supercomputer, the world's fastest supercomputer from 2013 to 2015 until it was surpassed by another Chinese supercomputer, the Tianhu SunwayLight.
In 2014, delivery of the C919 was again delayed by technology and supplier problems. This new delay pushed delivery to 2018.
The first C919 off the assembly line in September 2015 with no engines installed. The C919 was originally due to fly in 2015 but was hit by delays blamed on manufacturing problems.
The C919 is also part of China's efforts to develop a homegrown aviation industry. China currently relies heavily on foreign-made aircraft for most of its needs.
In June 2016, the ARJ21-700, China's first homemade regional jet, made its debut flight carrying 70 passengers. Also made by Comac, the ARJ21 completes against planes made by Bombardier Inc. of Canada and Brazil's Embraer SA.
