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China Unveils 1st Passenger Jet

Beijing hopes to compete with Boeing and Airbus

By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff

Posted Dec 21, 2007 12:43 PM CST
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(Newser) – China unveiled its first passenger jet today, the first step in its goal to become a major player in the global aviation industry, Bloomberg reports. The ARJ21, which seats up to 90, will make its maiden voyage in March, and the first planes will be ready for customers in 2009. Beijing hopes to meet soaring domestic demand and someday compete with the likes of Airbus and Boeing.

"It'll be a hard sell,'' said an analyst. "The Chinese are trying to break into the market and, to a degree, reinventing the wheel." To overcome its reputation for building shoddy planes, China has recently been investing heavily in its aerospace industry. A Chinese-made jumbo jet is on the drawing board for 2020.

Chinese visitors pose for photo with a model of the ARJ21 jet - the Advanced Regional Jet for the 21st century.
Chinese visitors pose for photo with a model of the ARJ21 jet - the Advanced Regional Jet for the 21st century.   (Getty Images (by Event))
China's ARJ21-700 regional jet Xiang Feng (Flying Phoenix) is unveiled during a ceremony at the Shanghai Aircraft Manufacturing Factory in Shanghai, China Friday, Dec. 21, 2007. China's first fully homegrown commercial aircraft, the ARJ-21 rolled off the production line Friday, marking a major step in the country's aviation program. (AP...
China's ARJ21-700 regional jet "Xiang Feng" (Flying Phoenix) is unveiled during a ceremony at the Shanghai Aircraft Manufacturing Factory in Shanghai, China Friday, Dec. 21, 2007. China's first fully...   (Associated Press)
An assistant stands near a scale model of a Chinese-made jet ARJ21 at International Aerospace Technology and Equipment Exhibition Thursday July 5, 2007 in Shanghai, China. The ARJ-21 is part of China's efforts to design and build its own large aircraft, although foreign manufacturers are to supply 40 percent of...
An assistant stands near a scale model of a Chinese-made jet ARJ21 at International Aerospace Technology and Equipment Exhibition Thursday July 5, 2007 in Shanghai, China. The ARJ-21 is part of China's...   (Associated Press)
Visitors look at a model of a China-made ARJ21 jet plane on display at the China International Industry Fair Wednesday Nov. 7, 2007, in Shanghai, China. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
Visitors look at a model of a China-made ARJ21 jet plane on display at the China International Industry Fair Wednesday Nov. 7, 2007, in Shanghai, China. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)   (Associated Press)
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First ARJ-21 rolls off the line
Flight International

State-run newspaper's coverage of the launch
China Daily

Money • World

 
China • Boeing • Airbus • aviation • airplane

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