Comac Rolls Out C919, Ground Tests Start Soon

Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China has rolled out its C919 narrow-body jet, which is meant to rival similar models from Airbus and Boeing.

State television also showed footage of the aircraft rolling off the assembly line in Comac's Shanghai factory. In a statement, the company said it had already received 517 orders for the aircraft mainly from domestic firms.

The much-delayed passenger jet is the Chinese answer to Boeing's 737 and Airbus's A320 models which make up more than half of the aircraft in service.

Comac Chairman Jin Zhuanglong said ground tests on the C919's systems such as avionics, flight controls and hydraulics would start shortly, and that the first flight was still scheduled for 2016.