BEIJING -- China still has no definite timetable for making big planes, but is on the way of feeder plane manufacture, said a senior official on Wednesday.

"Unlike satellites, planes carry people. Safety and reliability is our foremost concern in plane manufacture," said Sun Laiyan, head of China National Space Administration, in an interview on military technology for civilian use at www.gov.cn, a Chinese central government website.

"We are still in the primary stage of choosing the right technological program and deliberating relevant issues," said Sun, who is also deputy head of the Commission of Science Technology and Industry for National Defense.

However, he said the country's first feeder planes are scheduled for delivery for 2009.

"We have received orders for 41 feeder planes," said Sun.

According to Sun, China plans to start with feeder planes, then proceed to narrow-body trunk line passenger planes and finally wide-body trunk line passenger planes.

"Technologically, China is capable of making feeder planes and general-purpose planes, and is grounded in developing large-scale passenger planes and civilian helicopters," said Sun.

He said China has established a complete system of plane design, experiment, test flight and manufacture facilities.