200-Seat Airliner Expected To Arrive By 2020

Confirming reports that surfaced last week regarding plans by China to enter the large commercial airliner market -- territory now dominated exclusively by Boeing and Airbus -- now comes word leaders in that country have approved the program to produce an "internationally competitive" 200-seat airliner, and bring it to market by 2020.

The Associated Press reports the formal approval gives the program the full weight of the Chinese government... and follows six months of deliberations on a plan submitted by a government-funded group to research the country's chances in the highly competitive market.

China has set a target date of 2010 for the submission of designs for a large commercial aircraft. The country even says it might produce its own aircraft engines.

This isn't the first time China has announced plans to build large aircraft. Back in the 1970s, China entered into a partnership with McDonnell Douglas to develop an airliner similar to that company's DC-9. That joint-venture failed, and a portion of McDonnell Douglas was later sold to China's National Aero-Technology Import and Export Corp. -- which since became state-owned planemaker China Aviation Industry Corporation I, or AVIC I.

Likely not by coincidence, AVIC-I's upcoming medium-range airliner, the ARJ-21 (shown above) looks an awful lot like a DC-9. China says the plane will cater to home-market regional airlines.

Chinese facilities already produce large quantities of parts for both Boeing and Airbus. Embraer already has an aircraft factory in the country, and Airbus plans to begin production of Chinese-built A320s in the coming years.

FMI: www.avic1.com.cn/English/EnglishIndex.asp