Aircraft
Comac Rolls Out C919, But Program Timeline Still Uncertain
Comac won’t say when in 2016 it now plans to conduct the first flight of the delayed C919.
China's Comac rolled-out its new C919 airliner at its Shanghai factory on November 2. [Photo: Comac]
China's Comac rolled-out its new C919 airliner at its Shanghai factory on November 2. [Photo: Comac]

After seven years of development marked by repeated delays, China’s new C919 airliner is ready to start ground testing of its avionics, flight controls and hydraulics systems after making its debut in a roll-out ceremony on November 2. Developed by state-run Commercial Aircraft Corp. of China (Comac), the narrowbody rolled off the assembly line in the manufacturer’s Shanghai factory on to a crowd of roughly 4,000 government officials and representatives of foreign program partners. The new twinjet promises a range of just over 3,000 nm (5,555 km) and will be able to seat between 158 and 174 passengers.