2018-01-01

The C919: Ready for Takeoff?

① China's first home-made large passenger jet is scheduled to take off in Shanghai today.

② China's leaders will trumpet the test flight for the narrow-body passenger plane, made by state-run Comac, as a triumph of "indigenous innovation", challenging the global duopoly of America's Boeing and Europe's Airbus.

③ But the celebrations are premature.

④ For a start most of the complicated bits of kit, ranging from the engines and electronics to the fuel systems and landing gear, are made by foreign firms.

⑤ Even if the trial flight was successful, many safety and regulatory hurdles lie ahead.

⑥ If the C919 manages to clear those and come to market, it will still be years behind schedule.

⑦ Boeing and Airbus are, meanwhile, leapfrogging ahead to the next generation of big jets with safety, efficiency and other advances.

⑧ Chinese airlines, constrained by patriotism, may buy the new aircraft. Those able to choose freely probably won't.

be scheduled to do sth.: 即定做某事

trumpet: vt. 鼓吹

triumph: n. 胜利

indigenous: adj. 本土的

duopoly: n. 双寡头

premature: adj. 尚未成熟的

hurdle: n. 阻碍

leapfrog: vi. make strides

constrain(ed): vt. limit(ed)

Comac: Commercial Aircraft Corporation