China Completes Production of Own Passenger Plane

First China-made passenger jet leaves production line

China's first big passenger plane rolled off the assembly line on Monday Nov 02,2015 as the Asian giant seeks to develop its own aviation sector and challenge foreign industry giants for prestige and market share

The C919, a narrow-body jet which can seat 168 passengers, has been under production at a facility in commercial hub Shanghai for over a year, as workers assembled components under the guidance of Commercial Aircraft Corp. of China (COMAC).

A small truck towed the 39-metre long plane -- painted white with a green tail -- out of a cavernous building decorated with an enormous Chinese flag into the sunlight as project workers marched alongside, an AFP journalist saw.

But the aircraft, which has a range of up to 5,555 kilometres (3,444 miles), will not make its first test flight this year as originally scheduled, Jin said, with the maiden voyage planned for 2016.

For China, the plane represents years of efforts in a state-mandated drive to reduce dependence on European consortium Airbus and Boeing of the United States, and even compete against them.

"The roll out of the first C919 aircraft marks a significant milestone in the development of China's first indigenous aircraft," COMAC chairman Jin Zhuanglong told