The Commercial Aircraft Corp of China Ltd (COMAC) is aiming to make the first delivery of its C919 single-aisle jet in 2021, despite delays in flight testing, according to a report from Reuters.

Lu Zheng, COMAC’s (www.english.comac.cc) deputy general manager of sales and marketing, told reporters at the Singapore Airshow that the company expected Chinese certification to take three to four years.

China hopes that the C919 will compete with Boeing’s 737 and Airbus’s SE A320.

There was a gap of almost five months between the C919’s first flight and its second flight, raising concerns that COMAC’s plans to deliver the aircraft were running behind schedule.

The plane has since undergone multiple tests, including a long-distance flight.

Mr Zheng also said that US and European certification will come after it wins approval from Chinese regulators, adding that Europe’s aviation safety regulator had started the certification process, but its US counterpart had not.

COMAC, which is also co-developing a new wide-body jetliner with Russia, asked aero-engine manufacturers at the end of last year for bids to supply the C929 jet’s propulsion system.

Russian officials have said that the two countries expect to develop their own engine for their joint project.