SHANGHAI: China’s domestically developed C919 passenger jet is likely to make its third test flight within days or in up to two weeks, a senior Commercial Aircraft Corp. of China Ltd. (COMAC) executive told reporters on Friday.
The narrow-body C919, which will compete with Boeing Co’s 737 and the Airbus SE A320, completed its second test flight on Thursday, almost five months after its maiden flight earlier this year in May.
Shi Jianzhong, COMAC Vice President, said a number of “issues” relating to the plane’s technology and its engine had led to the lengthy gap between the C919’s first and second flight.
“We were being cautious,” he said, speaking at an event to announce the naming of a separate wide-body jet being developed by COMAC and Russia’s United Aircraft Corporation (UAC), which will be called the CR929.
“We expect future test flights to be very close together,” he said, adding that the next flight could be “a few days or one to two weeks” away.
The almost five month-gap between the C919’s first and second flight was far longer than that of other planes, such as the Airbus A350 whose gap was five days.
On the CR929, UAC said in a statement that the team had already decided on the plane’s family concept and its preliminary characteristics. Shi said that the plane was in the second, design-focused, stage of its development.
The two companies’ joint venture, which was set up in May, will be called China-Russia Commercial Aircraft International Corporation (CRAIC), they said.
China’s C919 passenger jet could do 3rd test flight within days — COMAC exec
China’s C919 passenger jet could do 3rd test flight within days — COMAC exec
Saudi Arabia’s cultural sector is a new economic engine between Riyadh and Paris, says ambassador
RIYADH: Culture has become a fundamental pillar in bilateral relations between France and Saudi Arabia, according to the French Ambassador to the Kingdom, Patrick Maisonnave.
Maisonnave noted its connection to the entertainment and tourism sectors, which makes it a new engine for economic cooperation between Riyadh and Paris.
He told Al-Eqtisadiah during the opening ceremony of La Fabrique in the Jax district of Diriyah that cultural cooperation with Saudi Arabia is an important element for its attractiveness in the coming decades.
La Fabrique is a space dedicated to artistic creativity and cultural exchange, launched as part of a partnership between the Riyadh Art program and the French Institute in Riyadh.
Running from Jan. 22 until Feb 14, the initiative will provide an open workspace that allows artists to develop and work on their ideas within a collaborative framework.
Launching La Fabrique as a space dedicated to artistic creativity
The ambassador highlighted that the transformation journey in the Kingdom under Vision 2030 has contributed to the emergence of a new generation of young artists and creators, alongside a growing desire in Saudi society to connect with culture and to embrace what is happening globally.
He affirmed that the relationship between the two countries is “profound, even cultural par excellence,” with interest from the Saudi side in French culture, matched by increasing interest from the French public and cultural institutions unfolding in the Kingdom.
Latest estimates indicate that the culture-based economy represents about 2.3 percent of France’s gross domestic product, equivalent to more than 90 billion euros ($106.4 billion) in annual revenues, according to government data. The sector directly employs more than 600,000 people, making it one of the largest job-creating sectors in the fields of creativity, publishing, cinema, and visual arts.
Saudi Arabia benefiting from French experience in the cultural field
Maisonnave explained that France possesses established cultural institutions, while Saudi Arabia is building a strong cultural sector, which opens the door for cooperation opportunities.
This comes as an extension of the signing of 10 major cultural agreements a year ago between French and Saudi institutions, aiming to enhance cooperation and transfer French expertise and knowledge to contribute to the development of the cultural system in the Kingdom.
He added that experiences like La Fabrique provide an opportunity to meet the new generation of Saudi creators, who have expressed interest in connecting with French institutions and artists in Paris and France.
La Fabrique encompasses a space for multiple contemporary artistic practices, including performance arts, digital and interactive arts, photography, music, and cinema, while providing the public with an opportunity to witness the stages of producing artistic works and interact with the creative process.
