In a big move that shows China’s resolve to challenge the supremacy of Boeing and Airbus in the aviation industry, Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China made an international debut of its narrow-body C919 passenger jet at the Singapore Airshow 2024. The C919 plane has so far got certification only in China. It was only last year that the first of C919s started its flying operations with China Eastern Airlines. Beijing has invested heavily in this project as it seeks to end the dominance of the Western players in the industry.
A Reuters report says that many industry watchers are observing how COMAC can prove itself to be a viable option as Boeing and Airbus struggle to scale up the production. COMAC has already announced its major investment plan. It is said to invest tens of billions of yuan over the period of five years to ramp up the C919 production capacity.
COMAC offers two passenger aircraft models: the ARJ21 regional jet and the larger C919 twin-engine narrow-body airliner, accommodating 158-192 seats. The C919 competes directly with established models such as the Airbus A320neo and the Boeing 737 MAX 8.
