Russia and China have collaborated to develop a new passenger airliner. A model of the airliner was presented at Airsho China-2016, held in Zhuhai, China this week. The project was announced during President Vladimir Putin's visit to China in 2014. It forms part of a GBP 10 billion deal on aviation cooperation between the two countries.

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Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC) and Russia's United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) expect the airliner to start its test flights in 2021. The airliner will be built in Shanghai, and the commercial production is expected to commence by 2025. Both companies have invested up to GBP 16 billion for the production of the aircraft.

COMAC and UAC plan to place the new airliner in competition with industry giants such as Boeing and Airbus. Guo Bohzi department manager, said that producing a wide body jet is a complicated procedure. He also added that both Russia and China have their distinct set of advantages.

Both the companies plan to build three different variations of the plane. One plane is expected to feature two aisles and a range of up to 7,500 miles. It will have the capacity to accommodate up to 280 passengers. The planes will feature aerodynamic design. These aircrafts will also come with low fuel burn engines. The planes have not been named yet.

Russian and Chinese governments have agreed to set up a joint venture for the purpose of developing aircrafts. It is expected that a list of the names of Chinese and Russian companies partaking in the project will be released in 2018. The countries plan to export the aircraft to other countries. 

TagsRussia, china, Boeing