Chinese-designed C919 rolls off assembly line

With a flying range of up to 5,555 kilometers (3,451 miles), it is created to compete head-to-head with its Airbus and Boeing rivals, and said to easily cover popular business and leisure routes from China such as Shanghai to Singapore and Beijing to Bangkok. The C919 is one of several initiatives launched by the ruling Communist Party to transform China from the world’s low-priced factory into a creator of profitable technology-and since China’s major airlines are state-owned, the party has a captive pool of potential customers that can be ordered to buy the C919.

Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China unveiled the first plane after it rolled off its assembly plant in Shanghai.

The China Daily newspaper has reported it could even be put back to 2017. Most of its critical systems-including engines and avionics-are being supplied by Western companies or foreign-Chinese joint ventures.

The company already has orders for 517 of its C919 planes, according to a COMAC statement, nearly all of them from domestic buyers.

During President Xi Jinping’s recent state visit to the United States, China signed a deal with Boeing to purchase 300 airliners worth $38 billion at list prices.

Comac has set a 2016 timeline for its C919 narrowbody to take its maiden sortie.

The 78-90 seat ARJ is still undergoing test flights and lacks the crucial certification by the US Federal Aviation Administration that would enable it to fly in USA skies.