China, Russia in wide-body airliner programme

On 22 May, China and Russia launched an ambitious project to jointly develop a wide-bodied airliner “to challenge Boeing and Airbus”, some weeks after successful test flight of the C919.

Chinese manufacturer Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC) and Russia’s United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) have formally established this previously announced joint venture in Shanghai.

Plans for new airliner (C929) were first unveiled last June when visiting Russian President Vladimir Putin met China’s Xi Jinping in Beijing, while Chinese state media have previously quoted officials saying the project could be worth between $13 billion and $20 billion. “The establishment of the joint-venture company symbolises the important progress made in the China-Russia longrange wide-body passenger aircraft project,” COMAC chairman Jin Zhuanglong stated.