Others News
- China to join jumbo jet set
Date: 10-Jan-2007 Sources: (Shenzhen Daily)
LARGE planes carrying a 'Made-in-China?label are expected to be flying within 10 to 15 years, Huang Qiang, secretary general of the Commission of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense of China, said Monday.
China has kicked off research and development on home-developed large planes, he said.
Hundreds of planes fly in and out of Chinese airports daily but none sports a home-made label.
'We estimate that within two or three Five-Year-Program periods, our first large aircraft will come into use,'he said.
It was the first time officials have specified a timetable for the project, which Huang said has led to widespread interest among the public and would cause some nervous moments for foreign aircraft makers.
The project was listed as a priority in the 11th Five-Year Program (2006-2010), during which the design of the aircraft would start, commission officials said earlier.
There have been mounting calls from the public for an early implementation of the large plane project, a program that 'has also kept some in (global aviation giants) Boeing and Airbus on their toes,'Huang said.
Used for both military and civilian purposes, large aircraft have a load capacity of at least 100 tons, and a passenger plane of that size usually has 200 seats, experts say.
Huang said the project could build on the expertise and experience of the aviation industry, particularly of the ARJ21, China's advanced regional jet whose manufacture began in December 2003.
The China Aviation Industry Corp I (AVIC I) has clinched 71 orders for ARJ21 jets, even though test flights of the regional plane have still to be made next year, according to Huang.
China needs 2,230 large planes through 2025, according to experts. Boeing and Airbus are currently the sole suppliers of such aircraft to China
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