AVIC I Commercial Aircraft (ACAC) plans to have the first flight of the ARJ21-700 in late October and hopes to have it on display at the Zhuhai airshow in early November.

China's state-run news media announced earlier this month that the ARJ21-700 would have its maiden flight on September 21 but ACAC VP Tao Zhihui tells ATI these reports are incorrect.

He says the aim is to have first flight sometime in late October and that this time-frame is in line with ACAC's announcement in March that the first flight would be sometime in September or October.

Achieving the October deadline is important because Tao says ACAC wants to have the ARJ21-700 on display at the Zhuhai Airshow, which is on November 4-9.

The first ARJ21-700 has already been rolled out of the aircraft factory at Shanghai's Dachang Airport and Tao says ACAC has been busy testing the aircraft's GE engines.

This aircraft programme has experienced a number of delays and was originally suppose to have first flight in March.

ACAC has attributed the more recent delays to the failure on the part of some western suppliers.

The ARJ21's launch customer is Shandong Airlines which is suppose to receive the first ARJ21 towards the end of next year.

Some well-placed industry sources in China say it is still possible for ACAC to get the aircraft certified in China in time for delivery towards the end of the year.

But there would have to be no further delays and the Chinese certification process would have to go smoothly, they say.