The country's first homegrown regional jet, the ARJ21-700,
rolled off the production line on Friday, marking a milestone in
its civil aviation program.
Vice-Premier Zeng Peiyan attended the rollout ceremony at
Shanghai Aircraft Manufacturing Factory.
ARJ21 - an acronym for "Advanced Regional Jet for the 21st
Century" - marks the first step in China's ambitious plan for its
civil aircraft manufacturing industry.
It will be followed by programs of developing larger planes and
advanced helicopters and research on key technologies such as
engines and electronic systems, Qin Fuguang, an official with the
Commission of Science, Technology and Industry for National
Defense, told an earlier news briefing.
"Developing the civil aircraft industry is of strategic
significance to China. It will not only satisfy the fast-growing
domestic civil aviation market, but also guarantee the safety of
the country's economy," he said.
At present, the civil aircraft market is largely monopolized by
Boeing and Airbus.
The first ARJ21-700 jet carries two Chinese characters, Xiang
Feng, which means flying phoenix, and symbolizes luck and harmony.
The name was chosen through online voting.
The 90-seat jet has a range of up to 3,700 km, and is able to
cover 60 percent of routes in China.
China Aviation Industry Corporation I (AVIC I), the country's
major aircraft manufacturer that developed the ARJ21, announced
that it had received 171 orders for the regional jets from domestic
carriers, 100 of which were signed with Shenzhen Airlines on Friday
during the ceremony.
Lao Airlines signed a letter of intent with AVIC I for two ARJ21
jets.
Wang Yawei, director of commercial aircraft division of AVIC I,
said the medium-range jet, unlike many other "made-in-China"
products, is competitive in technology and quality, not just
price.
AVIC I said it planned to produce 30 ARJ21 jets a year by
2011.
The jet will go through a series of test flights from the first
half of next year in a bid to acquire certificates from the General
Administration of Civil Aviation.
"We have begun some ground tests. We plan to use three ARJ21
jets to go through 14-month tests to acquire the certificates,"
Wang said.
AVIC I is scheduled to begin deliveries to customers in the
third quarter of 2009.
Following the ARJ21-700, there will be a new model called the
ARJ21-900, with an expected capacity of 105 seats, co-designed by
AVIC I and Canada-based Bombardier.
Wang cited a study saying there would be a demand for 900
regional jets in China in the next two decades.
(China Daily December 22, 2007)
