A design sketch shows the MA700 airliner. (Photo: China Daily)
BEIJING, March 1 (Xinhua) -- The China-developed MA700 turboprop aircraft has entered the trial-manufacturing and test phase, announced the state-owned Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC) Friday.
The first MA700 is expected to roll off the production line this September.
The MA700 is the third member of China's "Morden Ark(MA)" regional airplane family following the MA60 and MA600. The AVIC is striving to conduct the maiden flight by the end of 2019, said AVIC.
It is developed by the AVIC XAC Commercial Aircraft (AVIC XACC) in Xi'an, in northwest China's Shaanxi Province.
By the end of 2018, the company started the major parts assembly work of the plane's nose, forebody and cargo, and its wings are already in parts assembly.
The MA700 turboprop is designed with a maximum speed of 637 km per hour and a single-engine ceiling of 5,400 meters.
The model is adaptive to airports with high temperatures, high altitudes and short runway conditions. It is capable of operating in complex air route conditions.
To date, it has received 285 intended orders from 11 customers at home and abroad.
