Chinese aircraft first time abroad

The Chinese-made C919 has just made its first flight outside of China, when it participated in an exhibition in Singapore.

On February 18, China's C919 narrow-body aircraft made a demonstration flight ahead of the Singapore Airshow. This was the first time the C919 flew outside of China. The aircraft is manufactured by the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (Comac).

The event in Singapore is considered an opportunity for the C919 to promote its image abroad, in the context of Airbus and Boeing's limited participation. Airbus will only conduct demonstration flights with the A350-1000, not any A320neo aircraft. Boeing will also not bring commercial aircraft to Singapore, but only military aircraft.

Comac's C919 aircraft performs in Singapore ahead of the Singapore Airshow on February 18. Photo: Reuters — Comac's C919 aircraft performs in Singapore ahead of the Singapore Airshow on February 18. Photo: *Reuters*

The C919 is the result of 14 years of development by Comac, and was certified by China in late September 2022. This is a narrow-body aircraft model, with a capacity of 158-169 passengers and a range of more than 5,500 km. The C919 competes with the Boeing 737 and Airbus 320.

China has invested heavily in aircraft manufacturing, aiming to break the dominance of Western giants Boeing and Airbus. This year, it said it would step up promotion of the C919 and Comac both domestically and internationally. The aircraft has only just been licensed to operate in China and is only being operated commercially by China Eastern Airlines.

In December 2023, the C919 made its first trip outside mainland China, when it participated in an exhibition in Hong Kong. At the event, the C919 and the ARJ-21 jet (also manufactured by Comac) were displayed at Hong Kong International Airport. The C919 also made a demonstration flight over Victoria Harbor.

Boeing and Airbus are ramping up production to meet demand for new aircraft, and the aviation industry is watching to see how Comac will capitalize on the opportunity to gain market share as Boeing reels from a series of crises with the 737 MAX.

Last month, Chinese media reported that Comac officials said they would invest tens of billions of yuan over the next three to five years to expand production of the C919. Chinese aviation officials also said they would seek approval for the C919 by the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA).

Reuters cited multiple industry sources as saying that only four C919s are currently operating in China. The aircraft has only recently been certified domestically and is dependent on international supplies.

But amid a shortage of aircraft in the aviation industry, Comac is increasingly attracting attention. “More and more of my clients are putting the C919 on their shortlist,” Adam Cowburn of Alton Aviation Consultancy told Reuters.

Two C919s were delivered by Comac in 2023. Aviation consultancy IBA forecasts another 7-10 will be delivered this year.

"With Airbus and Boeing's narrow-body aircraft having been sold out this decade, the opportunity for the C919 is quite large, especially in the domestic market. Their challenge is mainly to produce to meet domestic demand and get licenses to participate in the international market," said Mike Yeomans at IBA.

Ha Thu (according to Reuters)

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