Aircraft
China Plays Long Game on C919 Development
Chinese leadership appears undeterred by persistent roadblocks to the C919's certification.
Comac now projects the C919 will earn Chinese certification by the end of this year. (Photo: Comac)
Comac now projects the C919 will earn Chinese certification by the end of this year. (Photo: Comac)

In the case of China's aerospace ambitions, the fable of the tortoise and the hare is instructive. Naysayers have spent almost a decade writing off the chances of the country's first-ever full-narrowbody-class commercial aircraft, but as 2022 dawns—and despite the disappointment of China Eastern Airlines over delays to the first-ever delivery of the aircraft, expected before the end of 2021—the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (Comac) appears on the verge of making the C919 a reality later this year.


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