On November 2, 2015, the first COMAC C919 with blue and green coatings to be assembled in Shanghai, rolled out of the newly-built final assembly workshop. Rollout means the completion of installation of body segments and airborne systems, which are ready for ground tests, and also laid a solid foundation for its maiden flight in the next stage.

C919 is a short-medium range single-aisle jet which was launched in 2008. The basic version seats 158 passengers in a two-class cabin, or 168 in all-economy class layout, and the high-density layout can carry 174 passengers. Its standard range is 4,075 km, while the extended-range version can reach 5,555 km.

The aim of C919 is "safer, more economical, more comfortable, and more environmentally friendly". Its seat space is bigger than its counterparts, which offers airlines more options in seat allocation and provides passengers with excellent travel experience. Apart from the basic version, COMAC will also launch extended, shortened, cargo version and business jet of C919. Currently, the number of its global customers has reached 21, with the total number of orders hitting 517.

With regard to advanced aerodynamic layout, structural materials and airborne systems, the engineer team of COMAC has been working on 102 key technologies, including the integrated design of the aircraft and engine, flight control system and active control technology. The proportion of third-generation aluminum-lithium alloy materials and advanced composite materials of C919 body structure accounted for 8.8% and 12% respectively. With the manufacturing capacity comparable to the global standards, the COMAC assembly and manufacturing center in Pudong has established five advanced production lines for assembling C919 with automated drilling, riveting and measuring equipment to help realize automated assembly, integrated testing, information aggregation and lean management.

Jin Zhuanglong, Chairman of COMAC, said that according to the schedule, C919 will carry out tests in avionics, flight control, hydraulics and other systems as well as airborne systems integration tests and static tests in the near future. The maiden flight is expected in 2016, after the completion of adjustment of the airborne system and installation of flight test equipment.

Contributed by COMAC