SINGAPORE: The Commercial Aircraft Corp. of China (COMAC) on Tuesday said it was aiming to make the first delivery of its C919 single-aisle jet in 2021, despite delays in flight testing.
Lu Zheng, COMAC鈥檚 deputy general manager of sales and marketing, told reporters on the sidelines of the Singapore Airshow that the company expected Chinese certification to take three to four years. COMAC also has been speaking to US authorities.
鈥淚t should not have any impact鈥� on the delivery time to the jet鈥檚 launch customer, China Eastern Airlines, he said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e striving for 2021.鈥�
The C919, which hopes to compete with Boeing Co鈥檚 737 and the Airbus SE A320, is a symbol of China鈥檚 civil aerospace ambitions and President Xi Jinping鈥檚 push to upgrade manufacturing capabilities.
There was an almost five month-gap between the C919鈥檚 first and second flight, far longer than that of other new aircraft, which had raised concerns that COMAC鈥檚 plans to deliver the aircraft were running behind schedule. The plane has since undergone multiple tests, including a long-distance flight.
Lu also said US and European certification to come after it wins approval from Chinese regulators. Europe鈥檚 aviation safety regulator has started the certification process, but its US counterpart has not, he said.
He described recent partnerships between Airbus and Bombardier, as well as Boeing and Embraer as 鈥渘ormal,鈥� but said that they would affect the markets its C919 and ARJ21 planes want to compete in.
鈥淚t will have an impact but they鈥檝e also been impacted by us,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e will work hard to become, from a follower, to be a competitor, and in future, if we have the opportunity, to become a leader. But it鈥檚 a long road.鈥�
The company does not plan to announce any orders at the Singapore Airshow, he added. But it planned to speak to potential customers from Southeast Asia.
The company, which is also co-developing a new wide-body jetliner with Russia, said in a statement that it had asked engine makers for proposals to supply the C929 jet鈥檚 propulsion system on December 21.
Russian officials have said the two countries expect to develop their own engine for the project.