Comac C919: China’s domestic passenger plane makes its international debut

Editor’s note: Sign up for CNN’s “while in china” newsletter. Explore what you need to know about the rise of China and its impact on the world.

Hong Kong
CNN
—

Beijing’s C919 airliner, a potential rival to Western-made Boeing and Airbus planes, ventured outside Chinese territory for the first time with a flyby at the Singapore Air Show on Sunday.

The single-aisle jet is manufactured by the state-owned Civil Aviation Corporation of China (Comac). prominent symbol widespread in beijing “Made in China” strategyaimed at reducing dependence on foreign manufacturers.

China calls the C919, which can carry just under 200 passengers, the first domestically produced large passenger plane. The plane took to the sky for that purpose. first commercial Flight last May. It is certified to carry passengers only within mainland China and is operated by China Eastern Airlines.

“This is the first time we have exhibitors from China,” Cindy Koh, executive vice president of the Singapore Economic Development Board, one of the air show’s organizers, told reporters on Sunday.

China is didn’t make a secret The company’s ambitions to eventually compete with Boeing (BA) and Airbus (ABNB). The C919’s overseas debut comes at a time when Boeing is making headlines for all the wrong reasons.Last month, part of the aircraft’s fuselage 737 max 9 boeing airplane It fell during an Alaska Airlines flight in the United States.

Shukor Yusov, founder of Endau Analytics, a company that tracks the aviation industry, said the C919 would be “the most-watched aircraft at the Singapore Air Show,” an event that draws business executives and government officials from around the world.

“There’s a lot of interest in seeing how real aircraft operate and how they fly,” he said.

Currently, only a handful of countries manufacture their own airplanes. very expensive Barriers to entry into the industry. It requires a high level of technical expertise and significant time and resources.

For example, C919 has cost backers an estimated $49 billion in development, manufacturing, and other costs. according to The Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington said it was difficult to pinpoint the exact amount because Commack’s financial situation is opaque.

In December, demo flight During her first voyage outside mainland China, she arrived at Hong Kong’s Victoria Harbor.

Yusof said rising tensions between China and Washington will also make it difficult for Commack to find a market in the West.

“You can’t run away from all the politics with China and other countries. That sigma is going to be with them for quite some time,” he said.

The model has not yet been certified by American and European aviation regulators, which Yusof said was a “major drawback.”

He added that the C919, with its five- to six-hour flight capability, is ideal for regional travel and could appeal to countries in Southeast Asia, Africa and Central Asia that are politically friendly to China.

“It will be some competition, but it won’t be on the same level as Airbus or Boeing,” he said.

Last year, Indonesia’s low cost Airline Transnusa becomes Comac’s first overseas customer, joining forces on short notice ARJ21a regional jet. It can carry just under 100 passengers.