COMAC Photo:CFP

Carbon emissions of C929 plane being designed in China will be cut by 60 percent compared to older models, according to Wu Guanghui, chief designer for domestically developed C919.

The C929 aircraft is now undergoing preliminary design and will adopt a series of measures to reduce carbon emissions, Wu said at an industry forum held in Hefei, East China's Anhui Province on Sunday, according to stdaily.com. 

For example, comprehensive modular avionics technology will be  used to reduce the weight of airborne equipment; advanced aerodynamic technologies such as new generation supercritical wings and variable camber wings are used to improve aerodynamic efficiency; while the amount of advanced composite materials will be increased to more than 50 percent to reduce the size of the aircraft, Wu said.

The plane will also adopt high bypass ratio, low-noise turbofan engines and will use biofuel to achieve lower fuel consumption at cruising altitude, Wu added.

The C929 is the first intercontinental jet passenger aircraft by China fitted to hold between 250 to 350 seats, and with a range of 12,000 kilometers. 

He Dongfeng, board chairman of the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC), said at the 16th Pujiang Innovation Forum in Shanghai that the C929 is still in the preliminary design stage, according to the stcsm.sh.gov.cn.

The C929 was originally called CR929 -- reportedly a joint effort between China and Russia. 

The name change reflects that the C929 passenger aircraft is now being independently developed by China, with Russia acting as a system and technology provider, Wang Yanan, chief editor of Beijing-based Aerospace Knowledge magazine, told the Global Times on Monday.

According to the aircraft maker, which developed the C919 and ARJ21 jetliner, China's domestically-produced passenger aircraft sector has initially formed a product lineup ranging from regional aircraft, short- to medium-haul narrow-body aircraft, to long-haul wide-body aircraft, as reported by Xinhua News Agency.

The order quantity for China's C919 jet has reached 1,061 units, according to He from COMAC.

In December 2022, the inaugural customer of C919, China Eastern Airlines, started to receive deliveries, with commercial operations beginning in May 2023.

Global Times