China's C919 plane to roll off assembly lines this year

A model of the Comac C919 passenger plane, which is built by the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC), is displayed on the first day of the China International Aviation & Aerospace Exhibition, in the southern Chinese city of Zhuhai. File photo / Agencies

SHANGHAI - China's C919 large passenger aircraft will roll off assembly lines this year, the manufacturer announced on Monday.

The Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China has completed basic assembly of the aircraft, the company said.

Earlier this month, the C919's vertical fin and the back end of the rear fuselage were delivered to the State-owned aircraft maker from domestic manufacturers.

The company has secured orders for 450 C919 planes from 18 customers.

With 168-seat and 156-seat layouts, the C919 will compete with Boeing and Airbus in the medium-range aircraft sector.

The C919's first test flight is planned for this year.

China will become the world's largest domestic aviation market in the next decade, an Airbus forecast said.

The country will need more than 5,300 new passenger aircraft and freighters between 2014 and 2033, with a total market value of $820 billion or 17 percent of total global demand, in the next 20 years, the forecast said.