dallas – Civil Aviation Corporation of China (COMAC) unveiled the narrow-body C919 during a flyby at the Singapore Air Show on February 18. This is the first time that Chinese aircraft will be exhibited outside Chinese territory. The C919 was one of two commercial aircraft manufacturers to fly their planes off the coast of Singapore alongside Airbus at Asia’s biggest air show. Boeing will not display commercial aircraft at this year’s event.
China has invested heavily to compete with dominant aircraft manufacturers Airbus and Boeing in the global passenger market. According to a report by MalayMail, China is keen to promote the domestic and international expansion of her C919 and COMAC. However, this model is only certified within China. The first of four C919s began flying with China Eastern Airlines (MU) last year.
commack Enter the global aviation industry
This may be an ideal time for COMAC to enter the global commercial passenger market and position itself as a suitable alternative to Airbus and Boeing. Both manufacturers are struggling to meet current demand for new aircraft. Boeing has also been plagued by other crises over safety issues.
COMAC announced that it will invest billions of yuan over the next three to five years to expand its C919 production capacity. The Civil Aviation Administration of China also announced last month that it would proceed with the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) verification of the C919 this year.
COMAC has two passenger products. It is a large twin-engine narrow-body airliner C919 with 158 to 192 seats that will compete with the ARJ21 regional jet and Airbus’s A320neo and Boeing 737 MAX models. Last December, C919 made its first flight outside mainland China to Hong Kong (HKG). ARJ21 is currently operated by Indonesia’s Transnusa Air (8B).
Aviation industry officials have warned that while only four C919s are currently in service in China, the aircraft are only certified by Chinese regulators. It also said that C919 production may still be affected by international supply chain delays. However, aircraft production backlogs are currently hampering the growth of the global aviation sector, creating an opportunity for COMAC.
Featured image: COMAC C919. Photo: COMAC