China's dream to have self-developed jumbo aircraft is expected to come to fruition by 2020 if all goes according to plan.

"We are fairly well positioned for making large aircraft, with sound support from growing national economic strength, technological development and experience in manufacturing," said Liu Daxiang, deputy head of the Department of Science and Technology Development under the China Aviation Industry Corporation I.

The preparation work is going well, Liu, a deputy to the annual session of the National People's Congress, said yesterday.

The ongoing project of regional jet ARJ-21, which was launched in 2005, has helped Chinese experts and technicians prepare themselves for large aircraft development, said Liu, an academic of the Chinese Academy of Engineering.

The regional jet, for which China boasts intellectual property rights, has been undergoing test flights and is expected to come into service in 2008.

However, Liu did not rule out international cooperation in the jumbo project, saying some aircraft and engine parts may be provided by other countries, though China will be its sole intellectual property rights holder.

Liu said the state should work out rules on the development of large civil aircraft "as soon as possible" to ensure the project progresses smoothly.

"A home-made large aircraft may inspire the nation like the manned spacecraft program," said Liu. "The project will also accelerate the technology advance in China's aviation industry and promote the development of secondary sectors."

China started to build jumbo aircraft in 1970, only two years after Airbus went into production, but the project was later shelved despite a promising start.

The central government revived the blueprint in the 11th Five-Year Plan (2006-2010) to meet the country's growing demand for air travel. This was approved by national law makers at the NPC full session last year.

The jumbo aircraft generally refers to an airfreighter with a flying-off weight of more than 100 tons or an airliner with more than 150 seats.

So far, only the United States, Russia, France, Germany, Britain and Spain have built jumbo aircraft, with Boeing and Airbus taking the lion's share of the international market, according to Liu.

China is forecast to become the second-largest civil aviation market after the US by 2030, with air travel soaring by more than 95 percent in the past five years. It is predicted that China will need 1,600 new airliners by 2020, which will be worth at least US$150 billion, said Liu.