Take-off delayed

摘要

Since the 1990s the global market for full-sized commercial airliners has been a duopoly. The market, which by some estimates will be worth $4.6 trillion over the next 20 years, is dominated by Airbus, a European firm, and Boeing, its American competitor. But in theory, at least, airlines will soon have a wider choice of planes. On November 2nd COMAC, a Chinese state-owned planemaker, revealed its C919 plane (pictured, next page), a competitor to Airbus's A320 and Boeing's 737, the two most popular airliners in the skies, comac says the C919 will have its maiden flight next year-two years later than first scheduled-and enter service around 2019. The Chinese are not the only ones who think they can break the duopoly. After several delays, Irkut, part of Russia's state-owned United Aircraft Corporation (UAC), hopes to launch its MC-21 aircraft, another potential rival to the 737 and A320, into service in 2017.