China Prepares to Rival Boeing and Airbus with Indigenous Jet Aircraft

China's indigenous C919 jetliner will make its first passenger flight in Spring 2023. The C919 is part of the commercial passenger aircraft manufactured by COMAC (Commercial Aircraft Corp of China). Once operational, the aircraft will put China on the global aviation map and help Beijing put an end to the US-based Boeing and France-based Airbus duopoly.

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China Seeks to Reduce Dependence on Boeing and Airbus

Airbus SE is considered the world's largest aircraft manufacturer. Although the company also produces military airplanes and helicopters, its core business comes from commercial passenger airlines. In 1972, Airbus launched the A300, the first aircraft to feature twin engines and aisles as well as a digital fly-by-wire interface. It then commissioned the top model A320 aircraft, designed with similar features and considered the most popular and safest passenger aircraft in the world.

Boeing is another famous company in the aviation industry. The American company not only makes passenger airplanes, but also weapons systems, satellites and rockets. The Boeing 747, 737 and Dreamliner models are very popular worldwide. But Boeing has faced a serious backlash over the crashes of Lion Air Flight 610 and Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302, which led to the grounding of the Boeing 737 Max worldwide from March 2019 to December 2022. Some countries, including China, lifted the ban just this month.

China is second only to the United States in air passenger traffic and has the fastest growing air passenger market in the world. Beijing is therefore highly motivated to build indigenous aircraft to take economic advantage of the huge market and reduce dependence on international players such as Airbus and Boeing. At the same time, total dependence on foreign firms increases the risk to national security and other geopolitical issues. China therefore wants to be fully self-reliant when it comes to its civil aviation industry.

China has been looking forward to this moment since 2008

COMAC was founded in Shanghai in 2008 to realize China's Civil Aviation dreams. The state-owned aerospace manufacturer designs and manufactures large passenger aircraft for the country. The C919, a twin-engine, single-aisle short- and medium-range airliner designed by COMAC, will be the country's first commercial passenger aircraft. The name C919 has a special meaning, where the C symbolizes China, the '9' in Chinese is pronounced '九' meaning endless and enduring, and the 19 emphasizes the aircraft's maximum capacity of 190 seats.

The C919 will try to compete with the world-famous Airbus A320 and Boeing 737 Max medium-range aircraft. The C919 has a standard range of 4075 km and a maximum range of 5555 km. The aircraft comes with a price tag of $122 million, cheaper than the $111 million Airbus A320 and $99 million Boeing 737 Max.

However, while the C919 is designed and assembled in China, like Boeing and Airbus, it also depends on global partnerships and collaborations for certain key parts and technological know-how. For example, COMAC uses LEAP-1C engines designed specifically for the company by CFM, a joint venture between GE Aviation of the US and Safran Aircraft Engines of France.

COMAC Receives 1200 Orders from 32 Customers

The C919 made its successful maiden flight in 2017 and is currently undergoing final certification procedures. As of December 26, the aircraft has completed a total of 100 hours of verification flights. China Eastern Airlines signed a contract to purchase five C919 jetliners in March 2021 and will be the first air carrier to fly passengers on this aircraft.

China Eastern Airlines has received the first batch of orders and several airlines are competing for its planes, said Zhang Yujin, deputy general manager of COMAC. The company plans to produce 150 planes a year for the next five years. COMAC has already received more than 1,200 orders from 32 customers, according to the Shanghai Science and Technology Commission.

Initial demand for the C919 will focus on China, but according to a recent report by the Mercator Institute for China Studies (MERICS), the C919 has the capacity to go global by breaking the Boeing-Airbus duopoly in the domestic market and then capitalizing on that success to explore overseas markets.

Global players are already competing for the Chinese aviation market. China is a lucrative and important market for the global aviation industry as it has the second highest number of passengers. In 2022 alone, Airbus made 662 deliveries, including 100 to Chinese air carriers, and Boeing made 480 deliveries, 8 of which were sold to Chinese airlines. For both giants, the rise of COMAC and China's indigenous aircraft could pose a potential threat to their hegemony.