By the end of this year China's third homemade C919 airliner will take off on its maiden flight from the fifth runway of Shanghai Pudong International Airport, Wu Guanghui, the general designer of the passenger jet, announced Tuesday at the ongoing National People's Congress (NPC).

The first two C919 aircrafts, both single-aisle trunk aircrafts, made their debuts in May and December last year. According to Wu, the two airplanes have completed 23 flights since being put into operation.

In response to inquiries about the scarcity of the first two jets in recent months, Wu assured people that there are no security issues, but simply that routine checks and refitting work are being made on the planes.

According to Wu, the planes have been examined by both the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) and the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), and that they have been assured as meeting the utmost safety requirements.

He also added that three more airplanes will be scheduled to make debut flights next year.

The C919 airliners, produced by Commercial Aircraft Corp of China Ltd., were certified by the CAAC in 2010 and the EASA in 2016. So far, the company has received 815 orders for the planes.

The company also plans to complete production of 15 ARJ21 regional aircraft this year. Meanwhile, research with the Russia's United Aircraft Corp for the development of the CR929, a wide-body jet for remote trips, remains underway.

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