China’s first domestically produced airliner made its international debut in Singapore. By Reuters
© Reuters. A Comac C919 passes by during a flyover display ahead of the Singapore Air Show at the Changi Exhibition Center in Singapore on February 18, 2024. REUTERS/Edgar Su
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Lisa Barrington
SINGAPORE (Reuters) – The narrow-body C919 built by Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC), China’s challenger to airliners from Airbus and Boeing (NYSE:), has flown outside Chinese territory for the first time. Sunday at the Singapore Air Show.
China has been investing heavily to break the hold of two dominant Western aircraft manufacturers in the global passenger market.
China this year has signaled its drive to develop its C919 and COMAC presence both domestically and internationally. The plane has only been certified within China, and the first of four C919s now began flying with China Eastern Airlines (OTC:) last year.
As Airbus and Boeing struggle to ramp up production and meet demand for new aircraft, and Boeing struggles with a series of crises, the airline industry is watching to see how COMAC establishes itself as a viable alternative.
COMAC will invest tens of billions of yuan over the next three to five years to expand C919 production capacity, Chinese media reported in January through a COMAC official.
Chinese aviation authorities said last month that they would pursue European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) verification of the C919, which began in 2018, this year.
The C919 was one of two commercial airplane manufacturers flying the plane off the coast of Singapore, along with Airbus, at Sunday’s preview of Asia’s largest air show. Boeing will not display any commercial aircraft this year.
COMAC has two passenger products: the ARJ21 regional jet and the larger C919 twin-engine narrow-body airliner with 158 to 192 seats, which competes with the existing Airbus A320neo and Boeing 737 MAX 8 models.
The C919 made its first flight outside mainland China to Hong Kong last December. ARJ21 is used by TransNusa Air in Indonesia.
Many within the industry warn that only four C919s are in service in China. The plane has been certified only by Chinese regulators and the C919 relies on an international supply chain.
But supply shortages across the aviation industry, which are testing the growth of Asia’s full revenue and private capacity, are increasingly drawing COMAC’s attention.
“We are also seeing a growing trend for customers to include the C919 option in their aircraft evaluations,” said Adam Cowburn of Alton Aviation Consultancy.
The two C919s were delivered in 2023. Aviation consultancy IBA predicts that between seven and 10 C919s could be delivered in 2024.
“With the A320neo and Airbus and Boeing narrowbodies of the 737 MAX family sold out over the past decade, the C919 has a strong opportunity to gain market share, particularly in the domestic market,” said Mike Yeomans of aviation consultancy IBA. said.
“COMAC’s immediate challenges concern production to meet local demand and certification to enter international markets,” Yeomans added.
