(NSI News Source Info) BEIJING, China - September 9, 2009: China will have it's own jumbo jet within eight years and will be named C919, state media reported on Saturday. 
The prototype of the first Chinese-made large aircraft C919 debuts at the Asian Aerospace in Hong Kong Tuesday. The 150 seat C919 airliner is China's most ambitious commercial aerospace program and will be undertake in co-operation with international partners from Asia, Europe and the U.S.The program is launched in December, 2008 and first C919 aircraft is scheduled for delivery in 2016. Compared with the mainstream aircraft engines, the engine of C919 will save 16% of fuel.
190 seater C919 will be the largest passenger plane produced in the country and will take off in about eight years, official news agency Xinhua said. With this plane china will be ready to take on Airbus and Boeing dominated international market for jumbo jet.
"The name also reflects our determination to compete in the international market for jumbo jet. C919 comes after Airbus and Boeing, so you will have ABC in the aviation industry," Wu, deputy general manager of COMAC, the manufacturer of C919, said.
"C represents China as well as COMAC, the abbreviation for Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China, Ltd," Wu said adding that the first 9 in the name implies "forever" in Chinese culture, while 19 means the first jumbo jet produced by China will have 190 seats.
China is willing to encourage foreign suppliers to enter into partnership with Chinese manufacturers on this project and will choose suppliers of engines, airborne equipment, and materials through international bidding. "We will choose foreign-manufactured products like engines at the beginning phase, but we will also independently do the research and manufacturing work at the same time," Wu said.
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