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New plane reaches for the sky

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A look inside China's C919 passenger jet

Economy class seats are seen inside a model of the China-made C919 passenger airliner at the 8th China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition in Zhuhai, South China's Guangdong province, Nov 15, 2010. [Xinhua]

The C919 has established a close working relationship with nine domestic fuselage suppliers and 17 leading international suppliers, and it has set up 14 joint ventures with international suppliers and domestic enterprises.

The birth of the nation's first large commercial aircraft comes at a time of growth in the aviation industry with domestic airlines set to place more orders.

According to Boeing's forecasts, China will need 4,330 new aircraft over the next 20 years with the fleet expanding to three times its current size to become the largest market outside the US.

But the Chinese aircraft industry is still in a weak position in terms of scale and numbers, said Zhang Hongying, director-general of the department of aircraft airworthiness certification at China's General Administration of Civil Aviation.

Of 1,636 registered civil aircraft, only 18 are homegrown, he said.

Zhang said the government is encouraging leasing and purchasing China-made aircraft by mapping out favorable policies.

A large aircraft has been the goal of China's industrial planners for decades. The C919 will go head-to-head with the popular Boeing 737 and Airbus A320.

Airbus earlier this month announced an order from China for 102 planes, including 50 A320s. Air China, China Southern Airlines and China Eastern Airlines, the nation's biggest carriers, all placed orders.

Boeing won many 737 orders this year from Air China, Okay Airways and Xiamen Airlines.

Aviation is one of a dozen or so areas of advanced technology, including renewable energy, in which China intends to become a global player.