Chinese planes bound for US

China will sell 25 jets to a US company in a "breakthrough" deal that marks the country's entry into the big-plane market dominated by European and US players.

The Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (CACC), which developed the ARJ21-700 regional aircraft independently, will sign a 5-billion-yuan ($735 million) contract on Tuesday, the Guangzhou Daily said yesterday.

The deal, to be signed on the opening day of the 7th China International Aviation and Aerospace¹ Exhibition in Zhuhai, Guangdong province, proves China's homemade aircraft have won international recognition, experts said yesterday.

The ARJ21, an acronym² for Advanced Regional Jet for the 21st Century, is China's first homemade regional jet.

Asian buyers have shown interest in ARJ21 jets, with Lao Airlines having signed a letter of intent to buy two, CACC said in May.

But "it is very difficult to enter North America and Europe," Chen Fusheng said. Chen is in charge of marketing³ another homemade turboprop aircraft, MA600.

"The US and European markets are mature, and aircraft makers⁴ have to pass time-consuming and high-standard tests before selling their planes," he said.

The deal shows global buyers have confidence in ARJ21, said Chen Jin, a CACC marketing manager.

The ARJ21 can carry 70 to 110 passengers, and rolled out of a Shanghai factory in December last year. It has yet to take its maiden⁵ commercial flight and get a certificate from the US-based Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

Under the circumstances, signing of the contract shows the buyers are confident of Chinese planes' performance, Chen Fusheng said.

The ARJ21-700 has a maximum range of 2,000 nautical⁶ miles, and is scheduled to take its first commercial flight by the end of November.