Commercial Aircraft of China (Comac) is aiming fly the ARJ21-700 this month for the first time and has ambitious plans for its larger commercial aircraft.

Comac has been conducting low-speed taxiing tests of the 90-seat ARJ21-700, say industry sources involved in the ARJ21 programme. They say Comac aims to conduct the first flight around the middle of this month but plans to wait until 15 November before committing to a date.

The aircraft manufacturer made changes to the software on the aircraft so it is waiting for approval from the regulator for these changes, the sources add.

At the Zhuhai Airshow, GE Commercial Aviation Services placed a firm order for five ARJ21-700s with options for 20 more. GE makes the CF34 engines that power the aircraft. A senior Comac official says having GECAS as a customer is significant because the US lessor will market the aircraft to potential customers in China and overseas.

Comac wants to sell the ARJ21 in Western markets and is aiming for US Federal Aviation Administration and European Aviation Safety Agency certification.

The Comac official says the company plans to establish sales offices in the USA and Europe and the European office is likely to be in Lufthansa's home town of Munich.

The company also plans to develop a large commercial aircraft that seats 130-200 passengers.

At the Zhuhai Airshow company chairman Zhang Qingwei failed to state publicly when the company aims to have the aircraft enter service, but China's vice minister for industry and information technology Miao Wei said the aircraft's design would be completed by 2010 and it would go into production by 2014.