Deliveries of the first domestically made regional jetliner, the ARJ21, are expected to start by the end of 2014, after the aircraft passed most of the steps to obtain an airworthiness certificate, an official of the manufacturer said on Wednesday.

"The ARJ21 has already accomplished more than 2,000 test flights with 4,000 hours of flight time, and only some items, such as extreme weather tests, have not been completed yet," said Luo Ronghuai, vice-president of the Commercial Aircraft Corp of China Ltd.

The new jetliner will obtain certification in China first and then apply for certifications in other countries, such as the United States. The US Federal Aviation Administration is already taking part in some of the ARJ21's tests.

The first aircraft will be delivered to Chengdu Airlines in 2014. COMAC has 340 orders for the plane.

The ARJ21, which was originally scheduled to enter service in 2010, made its maiden flight in 2008. It's taken a long time to finish its certification process.

"We've had to go through the entire procedure to apply for airworthiness certification without experience," Luo said.

COMAC's other project, the first domestic large passenger aircraft known as the C919, has also been delayed. The first delivery will be made in 2017, if all goes well.

New technologies and global supply chain issues caused the delays. "The top technologies used in the new aircraft added difficulty to researching and developing the projects," he added.

But the manufacturer is confident about the market for the C919.

"Demand for aircraft with 150 seats is huge and the market can accept another player besides the two giants," Luo said.

(China Daily USA 09/26/2013 page14)