Comac C919

China's first airliner designed to compete with Airbus and Boeing is off to a slow start. After the fanfare surrounding the C919's maiden flight in May, the single-aisle plane didn't fly again for four months and the two test aircraft have only made about two dozen flights since, well below the normal schedule for a new commercial jet.

The stakes involved in making jets are much higher than with cement mixers and phones, of course. But Comac isn't flying blind. The most important components in the C919, including the engines and most electronics, are made by non-Chinese companies with decades of aerospace experience.

The ARJ 21 is currently restricted to flying Chinese domestic routes as it still lacks the crucial US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) certification that would allow it to fly US skies.

Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC) has completed ground-testing and is preparing the aircraft for its much-delayed debut flight, which could provide an historic boost to China's efforts to compete with global aircraft makers.

The maiden flight of China's only homegrown commercial jet, the Comac C919, is behind schedule and delivery could be pushed back as much as two years, sources familiar with the programme said, dealing a blow to its push to challenge Airbus and Boeing.

China's first airliner designed to compete with Airbus and Boeing is off to a slow start. After the fanfare surrounding the C919's maiden flight in May, the single-aisle plane didn't fly again for four months and the two test aircraft have only made about two dozen flights since, well below the normal schedule for a new commercial jet.

The stakes involved in making jets are much higher than with cement mixers and phones, of course. But Comac isn't flying blind. The most important components in the C919, including the engines and most electronics, are made by non-Chinese companies with decades of aerospace experience.

The ARJ 21 is currently restricted to flying Chinese domestic routes as it still lacks the crucial US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) certification that would allow it to fly US skies.

Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC) has completed ground-testing and is preparing the aircraft for its much-delayed debut flight, which could provide an historic boost to China's efforts to compete with global aircraft makers.

The maiden flight of China's only homegrown commercial jet, the Comac C919, is behind schedule and delivery could be pushed back as much as two years, sources familiar with the programme said, dealing a blow to its push to challenge Airbus and Boeing.