China's homegrown large passenger plane C919 takes off on its maiden flight in Shanghai, east China, May 5, 2017. Subsidiaries of Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC) and Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China Ltd. (COMAC) have set up a joint design center to develop noses for China-developed commercial aircraft, AVIC said Nov. 21, 2018. According to the cooperation agreement, AVIC Chengdu Aircraft Corporation Commercial Aircraft Co., Ltd and COMAC Shanghai Aircraft Design and Research Institute will join hands in designing noses for all aircraft models of COMAC at the center. The center will be involved in concept design, preliminary design and detailed design.This is a major initiative amid the country's accelerated steps of building up its civil aircraft industry, AVIC said. AVIC Chengdu Aircraft Corporation Commercial Aircraft is China's major supplier of aircraft noses, cabin doors, movable surfaces and fuselage structural components. It is also responsible for developing noses of China's major civilian airplane models, such as the ARJ21, C919, and AG600 large amphibious aircraft. COMAC is China's major commercial aircraft developer. Its ARJ21 regional jetliner has entered mass production and commercial flight operation, and the C919 large single-aisle passenger aircraft made its successful maiden flight in May 2017. (Xinhua/Ding Ting)