The first delivery of domestic-made ARJ21 regional jet is likely to be postponed for 2 years till the end of 2013, Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China Ltd. (COMAC) has reconfirmed the delivery deadline at Farnborough International Airshow.

It is reported that the ARJ21 was originally scheduled to be delivered in 2007. However, the company encountered several hard problems during the aircraft research and development so they pushed the delivery deadline to the end of 2011. The second delay of delivery was also resulted from problems of aircraft certification.

Tian Min, the chief financial officer of COMAC, announced at the Farnborough Airshow that COMAC plans to hand-over the jet to its launch customer - Chengdu Airlines in the end of 2013. It is the first time that COMAC has clearly declared a target deadline since it failed to deliver the jet in 2011.

Tian Min also said that the company expects the certification of both the U.S. FAA and Civil Aviation Administration of China in 2013. "The program is now undergoing the certification tests and flight test stage. There are still some problems but it's an inevitable part of the process. And there are no serious issues .The progress is good over all," added Tian.

The delays in ARJ21 program will have spin-off effect on the C919 program. The C919 was originally scheduled to launch its first flight in 2014 and to be delivered in 2016. However, both plans are likely to be delayed for the reason that the company has to devote its limited resources to the ARJ21 and try to finish the program, which they began 10 years ago, as soon as possible.

It is reported that both the two aircraft programs have several western suppliers, but the company's design is limited - most technical experts of the program are domestic designers who have been engaged in military aircraft project for years.

The ARJ21 and the C919 are China's first large commercial aircraft programs aimed at designing and producing a competitive commercial aircraft in the international market. When asked whether the C919 program will be affected, Tian Min replied: "The experience we gained from the ARJ21 will be of great help for the C919's design and development."