Comac manager tells partners at Paris Air Show that plane is expected to be certified domestically by 2032
The company developing China’s first home-grown widebody passenger jet – the C929 – is aiming to see it make its maiden commercial flight by 2035, foreign partners have been told at this week’s Paris Air Show, according to a person familiar with the discussion.
The time frame, although longer than previous estimates, was in line with the “long-haul” one that Boeing and Airbus used when developing their first widebodies and reflected Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China’s (Comac) “prudence” and emphasis on safety, the person, who requested anonymity, added.
Comac told its partners this week that it expects the C929 – which is likely to resemble the Airbus A350 and Boeing 787 series – to be certified in China by 2032.
“Currently we plan to achieve TC (type certificate) in 2032,” a senior Comac manager said during a presentation at the air show.
