The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is expected to set up an office in Shanghai next year to push forward China's ARJ21-700 advanced regional jet project.

The announcement was made by FAA Administrator Marion Blakey during a meeting in Shanghai yesterday .

"The FAA has started down the path of opening an office in Shanghai to assist the General Administration of Civil Aviation of China with the certification process of the ARJ21," said Blakey.

She toured the ARJ21 facility in the city yesterday afternoon, saying that the project marks a large step forward for China in aircraft design, manufacture and certification.

China started the ARJ21-700 project in December 2003 with the aim of designing and building an advanced regional jet with intellectual property rights kept in-country.

The project, expected to cost 5 billion yuan (US$620 million), "is going smoothly," said Zheng Qiang, president of AVICI Commercial Aircraft Co. Ltd.

"We are collecting funds to push things forward, and aim to make the first trial flight in 2008."

So far, the company has received 41 orders for ARJ21-700 aircraft from domestic airlines.

"We are negotiating with some airlines in the hope of gaining more orders before the end of this year," Zheng said.

According to Andrew Wong, director of the US-China Aviation Cooperation Programme, many American companies are also working on the ARJ21, including GE, Honeywell, Eaton, Parker, Hamilton Sundstrand and Rockwell Collins.

(China Daily November 3, 2005)