The Sino-Russian wide-body aircraft CR929 will most probably be fitted with General Electric engines at the first phase, Director for International Cooperation of the Russian state-run company Rostec Viktor Kladov said on Tuesday.

"An engine by General Electric will most probably be purchased for this airplane at the first stage and it will be replaced by the Sino-Russian engine at the second stage," Kladov noted.

The joint venture on CR929 will make a final decision on the engine to be installed at the first stage, he said. Engines by Rolls-Royce can be another option, Kladov added.

It was reported earlier that China-Russia Commercial Aircraft International Corporation (CRAIC) is acting as the CR929 project operator. The conceptual design phase of the CR929 program would start in 2018. Aircraft systems and equipment suppliers will also be selected for about eighteen months.

The passenger jet will be designed to have 280 seats with the endurance of 12,000 kilometers in the basic version. The aircraft will be assembled in China and designed in Russia. The overall program budget is estimated at $13 bln.