China's first domestically developed jet, the ARJ-21, has already secured 71 orders before its commercial production begins, Xinhua news agency reported yesterday.

The first jet will be completed in December in Shanghai and its trial flight is scheduled for March 2008. Mass production will begin in 2009, said Luo Ronghuai, general manager of AVIC I Commercial Aircraft, the plane's developer, the report said.

The ARJ-21 is China's first domestically developed, medium-sized, short-haul jet. However, Luo said international cooperation also played an important role in developing the aircraft.

Luo described the ARJ-21 as one of the most advanced jets ever made, noting it is equipped with state-of-the-art aerial electronic, propelling and fault detection systems, the report said.

China's aircraft market is largely dominated by foreign manufacturers such as Boeing and Airbus.

ARJ stands for Advanced Regional Jet, a project dating back to early 2005. The entire development cost six billion yuan (US$800 million). This project also marks China's preparation to build its own big jet.

(Shanghai Daily October 20, 2007)