China's first domestic aircraft on display in Singapore

According to Reuters, the narrow-body C919, manufactured by the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC), performed a flight demonstration at the Singapore Airshow on February 18. This aircraft is considered a Chinese "rival" to passenger aircraft manufactured by Airbus and Boeing.

The domestically built aircraft represents China’s attempt to break the dominance of two Western aircraft makers in the global market. The C919 has only just been certified in China, and the first of four C919s began flying with China Eastern Airlines last year.

China brings first domestic commercial aircraft to international exhibition.

With Airbus and Boeing struggling to ramp up production and meet demand for new aircraft, and Boeing itself grappling with a series of crises, the aviation industry may look to COMAC as a viable alternative.

The company plans to invest tens of billions of yuan over the next three to five years to expand its C919 production capacity, according to Chinese media. China's aviation authority also said it is in the process of seeking certification from the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) for the C919.

Boeing will not display commercial aircraft this year.

COMAC also has a smaller passenger jet in the works, the ARJ21. COMAC's two passenger jets compete with the established Airbus A320neo and Boeing 737 MAX 8.

The C919 will make its first flight outside mainland China in December 2023, on a flight to Hong Kong. Meanwhile, the ARJ21 is being used by Indonesia's TransNusa Air.

Only four C919s are in service in China, and production of the plane also relies on an international supply chain. But the industry-wide supply crunch is drawing attention to COMAC.

“There is a growing trend of customers including the C919 in their fleet assessments,” said Alton Aviation Consulting, which has two C919s scheduled for delivery in 2023.

Consulting firm IBA predicts that 7-10 C919s could be delivered by 2024. They assess that with Airbus and Boeing's narrowbody A320neo and 737 MAX models sold out for most of this decade, the C919 has a great opportunity to gain market share, especially in the domestic market.

However, the immediate challenges for COMAC revolve around manufacturing to meet local demand and certification to penetrate international markets.

Phuong Anh (Source: Reuters, CNA)

Source: https://vtc.vn/may-bay-noi-dia-dau-tien-cua-trung-quoc-trinh-dien-o-singapore-ar853831.html