This Day, That Year

Item from Jan 12, 1996, in China Daily: The first Boeing 777 in China's civil fleet stands at Beijing's airport after its maiden flight from Guangzhou, capital of Guangdong province. China Southern Airlines is now the fourth in the world to own a Boeing 777, the world's largest wide-bodied jet airliner.

China has been gearing up efforts to develop its commercial passenger jet sector in the past few decades.

The country's first wide-body jetliner was unveiled in November, and a maiden flight has been scheduled for this year.