China adds an 800-passenger jet with ‘flying wing’ body to its big aircraft plan

Futuristic plane model has a wingspan 1.6 times that of a B-2 Spirit stealth bomber and seats more than world’s largest commercial aircraft

A Chinese research team has unveiled an aerodynamic model for a massive flying-wing passenger aircraft that could carry more than 800 people, marking a bold new entry in the country’s large aircraft programme.

Unlike conventional aircraft that have separate fuselage, wings and tail, a flying wing merges most of the structure into a single broad lifting body.

China is also pressing ahead with the C929, a 280-seat long-range widebody jet expected to make its first flight around 2030, and the C949 supersonic airliner, which draws parallels with Nasa’s X-59 supersonic technology.

The flying-wing passenger aircraft, which does not yet have a public name, is described as a pioneering project that explores even more radical configurations.