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China, Russia to build wide-body jets
May 23, 2017, 12:40 pm

China’s C919 can carry 190 passengers for a distance of just over 4,000 km [Xinhua]


Just two weeks after China launched its largest locally manufactured passenger plane the C919, Beijing and Moscow announced a joint initiative to build wide-body commercial airplanes.

China’s state Commercial Aircraft Corp of China Ltd (COMAC) which manufactures the C919 and Russia’s United Aircraft Corp (UAC) said that they are looking for some of the market share in “competitive long range wide-body commercial aircraft” currently dominated by Boeing and AirBus.

“Our two countries, our two firms … have created this joint venture to undertake responsibilities such as organization, research, management and implementation,” a COMAC statement said.

The two companies are hoping that their flagship carrier carrying 280 passengers for a maximum distance of 12,000 km will be ready to fly in eight to 11 years.

In the interim, China’s C919 can carry 190 passengers for a distance of just over 4,000 km.

Although the C919 won’t go into full commercial use right away, COMAC says it has received orders for 570 aircraft from 23 foreign and local aviation companies.

Meanwhile, Boeing broke ground earlier this month on its first oversease 737 completion and delivery center in the Zhujiajian aviation industry park of Zhoushan, a port city in east China’s Zhejiang Province

The center is expected to go online in 2018.

The BRICS Post with inputs from Agencies