China discusses feasibility of large aircraft program
3/7/2008 17:19
China's aviation experts have started to discuss the feasibility of the
country's large airplane manufacturing program, something which indicated it had
entered an advanced stage of researching and manufacturing the large
aircraft.
The feasibility demonstration of the program includes the overall
technology plan, types of airplanes, customer service and production scale, said
a China Aviation Industry Corporation I (AVIC I) expert who declined to be
named.
Discussions will also focus on the the large aircraft program's
airworthiness certificate, market prospects, human resources, airborne
equipment, composite materials and financing.
The feasibility was expected to
take six months, the source said.
Experts from the AVIC I and China Aviation
Industry Corporation II (AVIC II) were asked to make all-out efforts for the
work. At present, nearly 200 researchers planned to participate in the
feasibility work.
China's first large passenger aircraft company, a major
part of the nation's large jet program, was officially inaugurated in Shanghai
on May11.
The newly-established company, Commercial Aircraft Corporation of
China Ltd (CACC), will be responsible for researching, developing, manufacturing
and marketing the homegrown aircraft.
The CACC establishment was approved in
February 2007 by the State Council, China's Cabinet. This was to make the
country capable of building aircraft with a take-off weight of more than 100
tonnes, or planes with more than 150 seats.
It is widely regarded the CACC's
first large aircraft will roll off the production line by
2020.
Xinhua
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