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Nearly 12 years ago, China, intent on joining aerospace industry stalwarts Boeing and Airbus, established a new state-owned entity known as the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China \\u2014 or COMAC, for short.\\xa0

The company set a goal of a maiden flight for its debut passenger jet, the C919, in 2014, with production and delivery to follow in subsequent years.\\xa0

After a series of delays, the C919 did take to the skies for the first time in 2017, and Chinese officials reportedly hoped to finish testing, start production and begin making deliveries by the end of this year.\\xa0

Instead, Reuters reported this week that the company has completed less than one-fifth of the flight hours needed for approval by China\\u2019s civil aviation regulator, and that the corporation is now looking at deliveries in 2021 or 2022, at best.\\xa0

Sources told Reuters that the latest problem surfaced after COMAC engineers sent incorrect calculations about engine loads to manufacturer CFM International, which may require the engine and housing to be reinforced.\\xa0

Previous issues included cracks in the test jets\\u2019 horizontal stabilizers and gearboxes, and the report noted that federal prosecutors in 2018 uncovered a scheme by Chinese officials to spy on 13 global aerospace manufacturers.\\xa0

Analysts said the issues underscore COMAC\\u2019s inexperience in commercial aviation, but some also noted the continued delay isn\\u2019t necessarily a problem for the company \\u2014 even if it misses out on orders during the current market upswing. \\xa0

After all, they said, China\\u2019s government can simply direct its own airlines to buy COMAC\\u2019s jets whenever they\\u2019re ready.

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