A model of the China-made C919 passenger airliner is seen at the 8th China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition in Zhuhai, South China's Guangdong province, Nov 15, 2010. The model, which comprises the cockpit and the front part of the passenger cabin, is the same size as an actual C919 plane -- 17 meters long, 5.6 meters high and 3.96 meters wide. [Xinhua]

The official unveiling of the C919 prototype, China's first large commercial airliner, on Monday has enhanced the nation's ability to compete with the industry's giants, Boeing and Airbus, in the global aviation market.

The Commercial Aircraft Corp of China (COMAC), the aircraft's producer, did not disclose the names of the C919's first customers, but said three major State-owned airlines are expected to sign agreements on Tuesday at the biannual China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition in Zhuhai, Guangdong province.

COMAC has estimated a demand for 2,000 C919 planes in the domestic and overseas markets, said Wu Guanghui, chief designer of the single-aisle plane and COMAC vice-president.

The C919 prototype - 17 meters long, 5.6 meters tall and 3.96 meters wide - is on public display after two years of research.

The Shanghai-based company's regional aircraft, the ARJ21-700, of which China owns the intellectual property rights, will also take to the skies at the air show.

Upon certification from regulators, the C919 will be delivered to buyers in 2016, while the ARJ21-700 is scheduled to be approved in the fourth quarter of next year, the company said.

The pending purchases from the big three State-owned carriers will dampen prospects for overseas suppliers in a market Boeing expects to be worth $480 billion through 2029.

"The aircraft will provide another option for air travelers," Wu said.

The entry of the Chinese aircraft into the global civil aviation market might have an intermediate effect on the industry, said Shane Tedjarati, president and CEO, Honeywell China and India. He believes that global growth allows enough room for plane makers.

"China is the only other continental economy with a national will, the muscle and the capacity and all the other ingredients that are needed to create what happened in Europe and the United States 30 years ago," Tedjarati said. "China is going to build the third leg of the aerospace industry after North America and Europe.

"People are still buying Boeing and Airbus" but this development is good news for the market, he said.