BEIJING, CHINAChina's state-owned aircraft manufacturer COMAC says the company will still deliver the first C919s this year despite the negative impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on production.



COMAC C919 is currently in the certification process by the Chinese Civil Aviation regulator. The Chinese planemaker was planning to obtain its type certification in 2021 and deliver the first aircraft to the launch customer China Eastern Airlines the same year.

However, On January 2, COMAC said that its six test aircraft were still under testing process.

COMAC aims to introduce its home-built narrowbody jet to the market as Airbus A320 and Boeing 737 competitor, but COMAC's C919 program is highly dependent on Western technologies. The manufacturer is likely to miss its production and delivery targets due to the strict US export rules against China.

Comac has so far received 300 order commitments, mostly from Chinese airline operators.