ARJ-21 Starts Test Flights March 2008

It's been a long time coming, as ANN reported. But now, with final assembly having begun May 30 on the first jetliner to come off the production line by the end of 2007, China's first wholly-made airplane is becoming a reality, reports The People's Daily.

Meanwhile, photographs of the ARJ-21 — a mid-sized jet capable of carrying 70 to 100 passengers — taken at its hangar in Shanghai are reaching every corner of China.

The ARJ-21 is being developed by the AVIC I Commercial Aircraft Company, a group of six companies and aerospace research institutes carrying out the development and manufacture of the aircraft. The aircraft performance dimensions meet the demanding conditions in China, including the hot and high altitude conditions in Western China.

With its exploding domestic economy, China is spending billions on imported airlines. The Xinhua News Agency recently announced the accelerated home-grown large airliner program, making note of the national prestige associated with the venture.

Meanwhile, Embraer has a factory there and Airbus plans to build A320s in China, reported ANN. Even the FAA recently opened an office in Shanghai, which is expected to assist Chinese manufacturers' efforts to earn US certification for their aircraft and boost US aviation industry sales to China's fast-growing market.

Initially, the new office will primarily support efforts by China's General Administration of Civil Aviation to meet US safety standards and gain approval for the ARJ-21 passenger jet, accordingly to John Hickey, director of the FAA's Aircraft Certification Service.

Test flights will begin for the ARJ21 next year. Its builders are the same Chinese consortium planning to develop a new, larger jet by 2020.

Foreign suppliers are providing support for the ARJ21, and there are already 70 orders from Chinese airlines, including Shanghai Airlines, Shandong Airlines, and Xiamen Airlines.

FMI: www.avic1.com.cn