C919 receives new orders at Beijing Aviation Expo

A ceremony is held for the purchase of 130 C919's in Beijing on Tuesday, September 19, 2017, at this year's Aviation Expo in Beijing. [Photo: thepaper.cn]

Four domestic customers have placed new orders for the C919 aircraft at the Aviation Expo in Beijing, China National Radio reports.

Orders for China's first domestically-produced large passenger aircraft have reached 730 aircraft, with 130 new orders being put in.

Official data shows 24 foreign and domestic customers, including China's national carrier Air China, have placed orders for 600 aircraft this year.

The twin-engine jet made its maiden flight in May.

With a range of 4,075 kilometers, the narrow-body jetliner is said to be comparable with the updated Airbus 320 and Boeing's new generation 737's.

It's been predicted that China will become the world's top aviation market within the next 20 years. The Chinese airline sector is expected to order 6,000 new aircraft in the next two decades, with a total value of 1 trillion U.S. dollars.

The C919 is scheduled to make its second test flight before year's end.