China's new domestic regional plane MA700 starts manufacturing

BEIJING -- Manufacturing on China's new domestic regional MA700 plane started Thursday, according to its developer, the state-owned Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC).

The manufacturing of MA700's structural wing flap and cargo door components started, respectively, in two subordinate enterprises of AVIC in Northwest China's Xi'an and Northeast China's Shenyang.

The MA700 project is part of China's strategy in developing both the country's trunk airliners and regional planes.

The MA700 is China's new domestic high-speed turbo-engine regional plane model. It is designed to accommodate 78 to 85 passengers, with a maximum take-off weight of 27.6 tonnes.

It can perform well under tropical or plateau conditions, so can meet the demands of many regional aviation markets.

To date, the MA700 has received 185 plans to order from 11 clients worldwide.

The MA700 is expected to conduct its maiden flight in November 2019, and be delivered to the market after receiving the certificate from aviation authorities by 2021.