Millions of flights take off and land in China every year, almost all of which are made by the world’s two largest aircraft manufacturers, Boeing and Airbus. China has been working for years to change that, and this week celebrated a milestone in its quest with the first commercial flight of a Chinese-made heavyweight airliner.
A C919 jet made by Chinese state-owned aerospace maker Comac flew about 130 passengers from Shanghai to Beijing on Sunday with China Eastern Airlines, according to Chinese state media. It is the only his C919 aircraft currently in commercial flight.
Comac (China Civil Aviation Corporation) was founded in 2008. Based in Shanghai, it is closely associated with Avic, the China Aerospace Corporation, which manufactures the country’s turboprops, fighters and bombers. The C919 is a narrow body aircraft comparable to the Boeing 737 and Airbus A320.
Aviation experts said China faced stiff competition from U.S.-based Boeing and European firm Airbus, which is owned by countries including France and Germany. The two companies have long dominated sales of airplanes around the world.
Boeing Chief Executive Dave Calhoun told reporters this week at the Boeing plant in North Charleston, South Carolina, that the C919 is a “good plane” that will ultimately meet China’s domestic needs. , said it would “take a long time” for that to happen. The country has built enough production capacity to meet those needs.
Calhoun spoke from a room overlooking several Boeing 787 twin-aisle jets being prepared for customers around the world, including the country’s flagship airline, Air China. He said he believes the Comac C919 will eventually be able to meet the demand for domestic flights in China. He was confident that the global market could accommodate a third major manufacturer.
“Having three providers in a growing global market of this size and scale shouldn’t be the scariest idea in the world,” he said.
China remains an important market for Boeing and Airbus.
Of China’s more than 4.1 million scheduled domestic flights last year, about 42% used Boeing planes and 54% used Airbus jets, according to aviation data provider Cirium.
Airbus, which entered the Chinese aviation market in 1985, announced in April that it had received the go-ahead to build a second assembly line at its Chinese factory and proceed with an order for 160 planes. About 2,100 aircraft are in service in China.
For Boeing, nearly 14 percent of the approximately 10,000 aircraft delivered worldwide over the past 20 years have gone to customers in China.
Boeing’s sales in China have been sluggish in recent years. Commercial flights by Boeing’s 737 Max resumed in China in January. It came nearly two years after the plane returned to service around the world, including the U.S., and nearly four years after the Max was grounded globally following two fatal crashes that killed 346 people. . people.
Calhoun said Boeing will help the country as more Chinese residents start flying again as the economy recovers from stringent COVID-19 restrictions. But recurring tensions between China and the United States mean that relations between Boeing and China will progress “in order,” he said, adding that there would be plenty of business for Boeing anyway.
“What would life be like without China?” Life turns out to be fine. It’s not the way we want it, but it’s okay,” he said.
“We should stay focused on the competition and try to win the technology race,” he added. And in doing so, we will always keep ourselves in the lead as to what China will ultimately do. “
Comac relies heavily on U.S. and European suppliers to manufacture the C919, which includes the engine and many of the components needed to power and control the plane. The company says it plans to eventually start producing 150 C919 aircraft a year, but analysts say Comac’s production capacity is limited, especially since the production of the aircraft has been delayed for years in the first place. skeptical of
Although the C919 has not yet been certified for international use, it could eventually meet China’s growing domestic single-aisle demand. According to Sirium analyst Herman Tse, China is expected to need about 4,800 single-aisle jets like the C919 for regional travel by 2030.
If the company can ramp up production of the C919, he said, Comac could become a popular choice for Chinese airlines and carve out a slice of the market, but still lag behind Boeing and Airbus. Stated.
