Launched in 2008, the C919 project is China's attempt to break the Airbus-Boeing duopoly. The plane is set to compete against the Airbus A320, the Boeing 737 and Russia's Irkut MS-21.

 It will be able to carry up to 168 passengers and will have a maximum range of about 5,500 kilometers, according to Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China Ltd (COMAC).

The first prototype of the C919, to be used for test flights, will roll off the assembly line on Nov 2 at COMAC's Shanghai factory. It will take months of static testing on the ground before it will be tested in flight.