Commercial Aircraft Corp. of China (CACC) was inaugurated Sunday, having been bolstered by a $2.72 billion cash infusion, almost one-third of which comes from the state. The company is expected to be involved in the development of the 90-seat ARJ21 regional jet, which rolled off the production line last December, should be test flown later this year and may be the first commercial regional jet developed and produced by China. Deliveries are scheduled for 2009. The aircraft's initial specifications "indicate that it's a bit heavier" than current offerings from other manufacturers, according to Teal Group aviation analyst, Richard Aboulafia, and may be built without extensive use of lightweight composites. Still, "they might be able to establish a presence in the business over the next 10 to 20 years," he told the International Herald Tribune. Airbus has forecast that China will need more than 2,600 new passenger jets within the next two decades.
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