China showcases its domestic-made C919 passenger aircraft internationally for the first time
On Sunday, COMAC staged a fly-by of its C919 on its first flight outside Chinese territory.
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The backstory: China has been working to become self-reliant in many fields, including aviation, as the US continues to impose export restrictions on advanced technology to the country. The country has put a lot of money into the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC) to compete with top aircraft manufacturers like Boeing and Airbus.
COMAC began work on its passenger jet, the C919, 16 years ago and received its certification in China in 2022. It then flew the first C919 domestically with China Eastern Airlines last year. The jet can hold 158-168 passengers and has a maximum range of about 5,630 kilometers (3,500 miles).
More recently: In December, the C919 made its first flight outside mainland China to Hong Kong. There's been a growing global demand for new aircraft as air travel has made a comeback post-COVID, and Chinese media reported a COMAC official saying in January that the company plans to invest tens of billions of yuan over the next 3-5 years to expand its production of the C919. China's aviation authority said last month that it would try to get European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) validation for the C919 this year.
Two of the world's top aircraft manufacturers, Boeing and Airbus, have been struggling to speed up production to meet the demand, with orders backed up on long waitlists. Plus, Boeing has faced a series of problems over the last few years after some devastating crashes led to its 737 Max being grounded around the world for around 20 months. The drama only got worse for Boeing recently when a piece of fuselage blew off one of its planes shortly after takeoff, leading to more groundings and checks that uncovered faulty bolt installations.
The development: This is where COMAC comes in. The aviation industry is keeping an eye on the Chinese planemaker to see if it can become an alternative to these aircraft giants. COMAC's ARJ21 regional jet and the C919 could rival Airbus' A320neo and Boeing's 737 MAX 8 models. The aviation consultancy company IBA has forecast that 7-10 C919s could be delivered this year.
On Sunday, at a preview of Asia's biggest airshow in Singapore, COMAC staged a fly-by of its C919 on its first flight outside Chinese territory. The Singapore Airshow 2024 will run from Tuesday to Sunday, and COMAC has more demonstrations planned. On the other hand, Boeing isn't showing off a commercial aircraft this year.
Key comments:
"With Airbus and Boeing narrowbodies in the A320neo and 737 MAX families sold out for most of this decade, the C919 has a strong opportunity to gain market share, particularly in its domestic market," said Mike Yeomans of aviation consultancy IBA.
"The immediate challenges for COMAC are around production to meet local demand and certification to penetrate international markets," Yeomans added.
"We have also seen a growing trend where clients are including the C919 option in their fleet evaluation," said Adam Cowburn of Alton Aviation Consultancy.
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