COMAC Says C919 Won't Fly This Year

Chinese state-owned aircraft maker Comac said its C919 commercial jet would not make its first flight this year.

Comac wants the C919, which will be China's only home-grown commercial jet, to rival the Airbus A320 and Boeing 737.

The jet was originally scheduled to fly by end-2015, but a Shanghai-based Comac spokesman said the first aircraft would now roll off the assembly line at the end of the year. The timing of the first flight will be announced after that, he added.

The spokesman did not give a reason for the delay.

The first flight has been postponed to the first half of 2016, with deliveries scheduled for 2018 slipping to 2020.

Further delays will make it harder for the plane to make an impact beyond its home market, industry analysts say.