C919

A model of the 150-seat C919 passenger plane is displayed at the Asian Aerospace Expo in Hong Kong in this September 8, 2009 file photo. [Photo/Agencies]

The Comac C919 is a planned family of 168-190 seat narrow-body airliners to be built by the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (Comac).

COMAC hopes to have as many as 300 orders and commitments for the plane by the end of this year.

The company is working on detailed designs of the plane after passing a preliminary technical review by the Chinese government in December. The C919 is due to make its first flight in 2014 and to enter service two years later.

The jet will be 20 percent lighter and 10 percent cheaper than existing aircraft of similar size, as it will be built with composite materials and aluminum-lithium alloys.

To meet its 2014 deadline, the Chinese company will probably have to assemble its first C919 within a year of completing the detailed designs. The plane maker may struggle to achieve this, given that Airbus and Boeing, which have more experience, usually take longer.