China’s long-awaited homegrown airliner C919 rolls out

Amazing,

SHANGHAI: China’s first big passenger plane rolled off the assembly line on Monday as the Asian giant seeks to develop its own aviation sector and challenge foreign industry giants for prestige and market share. The C919, a narrow-body jet which can seat 168 passengers, has been under production at a facility in commercial hub Shanghai for over a year, as workers assembled components under the guidance of Commercial Aircraft Corp. of China (COMAC).

But the aircraft, which has a range of up to 5,555 kilometres (3,444 miles), will not make its first test flight this year as originally scheduled, Jin said, with the maiden voyage planned for 2016. The China Daily newspaper has reported it could even be put back to 2017.Although the C919 is made in China, foreign firms are playing key roles by supplying systems as well as the engines, which are made by CFM International, a joint venture between GE of the US and France’s Safra