China's Research and Design Center for Commercial Aircraft, has been established in Shanghai. What this means is the country's jumbo jet program is now in full swing.

The center's set to design a regional jet, the ARJ-21, and a jumbo jet, the C-919. The center has completed preliminary plans for the C-919. The plane's maufacturer, the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China, has signed a memorandum of understanding with nine domestic airframe suppliers. The 150 seater is due to make its maiden flight in 2014 and will be available for delivery to customers in 2016.

Guo Bozhi, President of Shanghai Aircraft Design & Research Institute, said, "We have been doing well in many areas of technology research, dealing with such issues as reducing the plane's air resistance and making the engine more efficient. We have reached the same level as other planes that we are using. It was a hard work to do this in only one year."

(CCTV December 1, 2009)