China's first domestically produced single-aisle passenger jet, the C919, is expected to take to the sky for its maiden flight on Friday, as the country endeavors to meet soaring domestic travel demand and break the global market duopoly of Boeing Co and Airbus Group SE.
在国内旅游需求不断上升急需满足，以及波音公司和空中客车集团垄断全球航空市场的环境下，中国首架自主生产的单通道喷气式飞机C919预计在本周五进行首飞。
The debut flight is set to take place at Shanghai Pudong International Airport, subject to weather conditions, the C919's Shanghai-based manufacturer, Commercial Aircraft Corp of China, said on Wednesday.
中国商飞公司（C919飞机制造商，总部位于上海）周三称，飞机首飞地点定于上海浦东国际机场，但不排除受天气条件影响顺延。
Soon after it was established in 2008, COMAC began the research to develop the twin-engine C919, which would be used for medium-haul flights with 158 to 174 seats. It is expected to compete with the updated Airbus A320 and the new-generation Boeing B737.
中国商飞公司于2008年成立，之后不久，就开始着手研发双引擎C919飞机，以期为备有158-174个座位的中程航班服务。研发人员希望C919能够与空中客车集团新型A320飞机和波音公司新一代B737飞机形成竞争。
China has its own military and regional aircraft manufacturers, and the development of the airplane serves as a key index to assess the country's industrial and technical manufacturing capacity.
中国已经拥有了自己的军用飞机和支线飞机制造商，此架飞机的研发成为衡量中国产业和技术制造水平的一个重要指标。
"The first flight of the C919 signals that China will be able to make a significant breakthrough for the country's civil aircraft manufacturing industry, and it could have the opportunity to break the monopolies of Boeing and Airbus," said Lin Zhijie, an aviation industry analyst and columnist at Carnoc.com, a large Chinese civil aviation website.
航空业分析家、民航资源网（国内大型民航类网站）专栏作家林智杰说：“C919飞机的首飞是一个信号，这意味着中国将在国产民用飞机制造业实现重要突破，中国将有机会打破波音公司和空中客车集团的垄断。”
Despite the promising future, Lin said the C919's entry to the market won't occur soon. The date it goes into operation is expected to be between 2020 and 2022.
尽管前景广阔，但林智杰认为C919不会很快进入市场，预计投入运营的时间应该在2020年到2022年之间。
So far, COMAC has received 570 orders for the C919 from 23 clients, including domestic airlines such as the State-owned Air China, China Southern and China Eastern; and private airlines Hainan Airlines and Sichuan Airlines. China Eastern will be the first to take delivery.
截至目前，中国商飞C919已经接到了来自23家客户的共570架订单，其中包括一些国内航空公司，比如中航、南航以及东航等国企，以及海航、川航等私企。商飞公司将首先向中国东航交付飞机。

Overseas orders account for about 10 percent of the total, including airlines from Germany and Thailand and others from the Asia Pacific region and Africa.
海外订单大约占据了总订单的10%，其中有来自德国、泰国、亚太地区和非洲的航空公司。
Boeing earlier predicts that China will need 5,110 new single-aisle airplanes through 2035, accounting for 75 percent of the total delivery for China from global aircraft manufacturers.
波音早先预计，中国到2035年将新需5110架单通道飞机，占中国对国际飞机制造商总需求的75%。
"While the program has faced its share of challenges－like any development program of this size－the results speak for themselves," said Steven Lien, president of Honeywell Aerospace Asia Pacific, one of the C919's suppliers.
霍尼韦尔航空航天集团亚太区总裁史蒂文?利恩说，“就像其他同规模的研发项目一样，C919也面临着自己的挑战，但是结果会说明一切。”该集团是C919供应商之一。
"The C919 is a sleek, modern and efficient airplane. It is ready to compete on a global scale, heralding China's ambitious plans to grow and develop its domestic air transportation industry with the help of international partners."
“C919飞机造型优美时尚，乘客搭载量高，完全有实力在世界范围与对手竞争。这表明了中国计划在国际合作伙伴的帮助下培养发展国产航空运输产业的雄心。”
COMAC said last week it has started the research to develop a widebody commercial jet with Russia for delivery within 10 years.
中国商飞公司在上周称，他们已经在和俄罗斯合作，共同研发宽体商业飞机，预计10年内投产。