China's own passenger aircraft with up to 100 seats is expected to make its maiden test flight in 2006, an aviation expert was quoted Wednesday as saying.

Zhang Ju'en, director of Scientific and Technological Development of China Aviation Industry Corporation I, said Chinese passengers may travel on the aircraft in as early as 2007. The corporation was set up on July 1, 1999 on the basis of the State-owned Aviation Industries of China.

The aircraft was designed to have 70 to 100 seats, and will be used on some of the country's domestic non-main lines, Beijing Star Daily reported Wednesday.

The project to develop the aircraft was coded ARJ21, which has a funding of 2 billion yuan (US$240 million) from the central government, said Zhang.

Zhang said the company has so far received 35 orders for the plane under development.

China plans to make the passenger plane with cutting-edge technology, and it would launch a project to develop passenger aircraft with 200 and even more seats afterwards, said Zhang.

(Xinhua News Agency June 24, 2004)