The Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC) on Tuesday said that national carrier Air China would be the launch customer for the company's C929 wide-body aircraft under development that is designed to compete with twin-aisle models from Airbus and Boeing.

COMAC's deputy director of marketing, Liu Yan, made the announcement at China's biggest air show in Zhuhai.

He did not disclose the number of aircraft Air China would purchase or planned delivery dates.

COMAC has said the C929 would have 280 to 400 seats and a range of 12,000 kilometres, which is in the same category as Boeing's 787 Dreamliner.

The C929 was renamed in 2023 from the CR929 after Russia left a China-Russia joint venture developing the aircraft.

A report in April from the C929's fuselage manufacturer said it aimed to deliver the first fuselage section by September 2027.

COMAC deputy general manager Tong Yu in May told a group of Hong Kong reporters in Shanghai that a C929 prototype would be seen in the near future and estimated the jet could "soon" take a test flight. (Reuters)