China has announced it will expedite certification of its domestic narrow-body airliner in Europe this year as part of efforts to raise international awareness of the C919 and compete with Boeing and Airbus.
The Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) said Thursday at its annual industry work conference in Beijing that it will step up efforts to work with the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) to allow “domestic civil aircraft to go abroad.” Announced. to CAAC News, a publication owned by China’s aviation regulator.
Manufactured by state-owned China Civil Aviation Corporation (Comac), the C919 is designed to compete with Boeing’s 737 and Airbus’ A320.
CAAC has bilateral aviation safety agreements with EASA and the Federal Aviation Administration in the United States for certification verification, allowing Chinese aerospace products to be exported to the United States and the European Union based on mutual recognition of their respective processes. become.
Under the agreement, regulators will work together to verify the airworthiness of aircraft designs, known as type certification.
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Why it took 15 years for China’s domestic aircraft C919 to start passenger flights
Why it took 15 years for China’s domestic aircraft C919 to start passenger flights
The CAAC also announced Thursday that this year it will prioritize reviewing “national key models,” namely the domestically designed CJ-1000 engine, which is being developed for the C919 and the AG600, the world’s largest amphibious aircraft.
“The civil aviation industry [in China] We remain committed to autonomy, openness and inclusiveness,” CAAC said.
Regulators say the industry will focus on resolving a number of bottlenecks and “challenges” related to technical equipment, production processes and key operational systems that are “controlled by others” to reduce risks in its long-term development. Then he added.
The C919 counts a number of foreign companies as suppliers of key components, and its engines are manufactured by CFM International, a joint venture between GE Aerospace of the United States and Safran Aircraft Engines of France.
On Tuesday, Shanghai-based China Eastern Airlines announced it had received its fourth C919 jet.
According to guidelines released by the National Development and Reform Commission last week, civil aviation manufacturing, along with semiconductors, is listed as a strategic industry for China’s economic growth that the government supports and promotes.