China's COMAC wide-body C929 jet in 'detailed design stage', official says

Chinese state-owned planemaker COMAC's first wide-body jet is in its "detailed design stage", an executive said on Tuesday, following a report from the jet's fuselage manufacturer aiming to deliver the first fuselage section by September 2027. The statement from the manufacturer appears to be the first indication of a production timeline for the C929 jet since Russia in 2023 left a China-Russia joint venture to develop the twin-aisle plane - formerly known as the CR929. China, through the state-owned Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC), has invested heavily in its attempt to break into a passenger jet market dominated by Western planemakers Boeing and Airbus. COMAC has so far put the narrow-body C919 and regional jet ARJ21 into commercial operation, but its long-haul wide-body program has experienced delays. This included Russia in 2023 dropping out of a joint venture to develop the plane. The C929 has entered the detailed design stage, COMAC marketing director Zhang Xiaoguang told a conference in Shangahi on Tuesday, local media reported. In February Huarui Aero, the Chinese manufacturer selected by COMAC in 2021 to build the C929 fuselage, said the first "middle section of the fuselage" will be delivered in 2027, by Sept. 1. COMAC did not respond to a request for comment. The C929 will have around 280-400 seats and a range of 12,000km, COMAC says.<br/>