Wed, Mar 21, 2007
200-Seat Airliner Expected To Arrive By 2020
Confirming reports that surfaced last week regarding plans by
China to enter the large commercial airliner
market -- territory now dominated exclusively by
Boeing and Airbus -- now comes word leaders in that country have
approved the program to produce an "internationally competitive"
200-seat airliner, and bring it to market by 2020.
The Associated Press reports the formal approval gives the
program the full weight of the Chinese government... and follows
six months of deliberations on a plan submitted by a
government-funded group to research the country's chances in the
highly competitive market.
China has set a target date of 2010 for the submission of
designs for a large commercial aircraft. The country even says it
might produce its own aircraft engines.
This isn't the first time China has announced plans to build
large aircraft. Back in the 1970s, China entered into a partnership
with McDonnell Douglas to develop an airliner similar to that
company's DC-9. That joint-venture failed, and a portion of
McDonnell Douglas was later sold to China's National
Aero-Technology Import and Export Corp. -- which since became
state-owned planemaker China Aviation Industry Corporation I, or
AVIC I.
Likely not by coincidence, AVIC-I's upcoming medium-range
airliner, the ARJ-21 (shown above) looks an awful lot like a DC-9.
China says the plane will cater to home-market regional
airlines.
Chinese facilities already produce large quantities of parts for
both Boeing and Airbus. Embraer already has an aircraft factory in
the country, and Airbus plans to begin production of Chinese-built
A320s in the coming years.
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