Comac C929

In June 2011, it was reported that Comac was studying the 290-seat C929 and 390-seat C939 wide-body aircraft. In June 2012, Russia and China entered talks to set up a joint venture between UAC and Comac to develop a successor to the Il-96. Development was expected to take at least seven years and at a cost of $7–12 billion, with a production target of several hundred aircraft. Russia would contribute its knowledge and China would provide the resources. In May 2014, a memorandum on cooperation was reached and a feasibility study completed in autumn 2014. UAC estimated that wide-body demand worldwide through 2033 amounts to 8,000 aircraft, including 1,000 in China. Preliminary design began in February 2015. In June 2016, an agreement was signed to set up a 50–50 joint venture. In November 2016, at Zhuhai Airshow, Comac and UAC approached Honeywell and United Technologies as potential suppliers. A mock-up was exhibited at the show. CRAIC joint venture The China–Russia Commercial Aircraft International Corporation Limited (CRAIC) 50–50 joint venture was launched on May 22, 2017 in Shanghai, targeting a 2025–2028 maiden flight and first delivery. Leonardo confirmed the joint venture on 26 October. In November 2018, a mockup of the forward cabin was unveiled at the Zhuhai Airshow China. By early 2019, Concept design was targeted for the end of 2019/early 2020, before the definition phase. High-speed wind tunnel testing was completed by December 2019 at the Moscow Central Aerohydrodynamic Institute, using a 1:39 scale model of the fuselage and wing. Tensions between Comac and UAC By July 2020, Irkut's chief disclosed that the first deliveries were expected to be delayed to 2028–2029, citing "difficulties" for the partners in working together. By June 2021, China and Russia appeared to have put differences aside in relation to future market share, and confirmed plans to start building a prototype in 2021 with maiden flight in 2023. The COVID-19 pandemic impacted the development pace, however construction of the first prototype began by September 2021. In 2022, following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, multiple sanctions brought further uncertainty to the venture. As of September 2022, the Russians remained optimistic that testing flights could begin as early as 2030. In June 2023, news emerged that Comac intended to continue the program on its own, independently of UAC. In August 2023, UAC CEO Yury Slyusar confirmed Russia's withdrawal but expressed hope that UAC could remain involved as a supplier to the program. Relaunch as Comac C929 In November 2023, noting that the program was entering the detailed design stage, Comac confirmed the C929 name and the fact that the aircraft was "now being independently developed by China". In March 2024, Comac announced that the manufacturer aimed to deliver the first fuselage section by September 2027. They said the aircraft was to have 280-400 seats and a range of about 12,000 km. , American aviation journalists believe that a prototype aircraft will not be ready until 2029 at the earliest. == Design ==

Seating Three variants are planned: the -500 will carry 250 passengers in three classes with a range of , the -600 will have 280 seats and a range of and the -700 will carry 320 over . Composite materials and titanium should account for half of the structural weight. Engine The starting point In the 2010s, it was generally thought that a competitive widebody would initially need Western or Russian powerplants and onboard systems. CRAIC expected a TSFC better by at least 10% in 2019. A potential Russian engine At the November 2014 Zhuhai Airshow, a high-thrust joint turbofan was discussed between Chinese Avic Commercial Aircraft Engines and the Russian United Engine Corporation (UEC), with parameters defined in early 2015 for an introduction between 2025 and 2030. The plan was to develop a more powerful version of the Aviadvigatel PD-14 engine, developed for the Yakovlev MC-21 airliner, after its certification in 2017, with a 50% scaled up core. In May 2016 the development of a Russian engine Aviadvigatel PD-35 began for the twinjet airliner; it was then expected to enter service in 2025 (since delayed to 2029). A derivative of the Kuznetsov NK-32 PD-30 powering the Tupolev Tu-160 supersonic bomber was also proposed in August 2015. A Chinese alternative Chinese companies also carried out work independently on the AECC CJ-2000 engine. Technically, the C929 could also use AI-38 engines co-developed by China and Ukrainian Ivchenko-Progress from the 225 kN Progress D-18T of the An-124/An-225, although the memorandum of understanding between Russian UEC and Chinese AECC made this possibility seem unlikely. Since the Aviadvigatel PD-35 was in 2022 postponed until at least 2029, and the AECC CJ-1000A, on which the CJ-2000 is to be based, was nearing service-readiness in 2025, the final engine choice for the C929 remains open. == Supplier summary ==

In November 2024, Comac announced that Air China would be the launch customer for the C929, though it did not state how many aircraft the airline would order nor the expected delivery date. == Specifications ==