China's Homegrown Airliner Makes International Debut

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Facts

• The C919, China's first domestically produced passenger jet, made its maiden flight outside the PRC on Sunday, when it conducted a flyby at the Singapore Airshow.¹
• Chinese regulators have approved the twin-engine narrow-body aircraft that the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China built, and it can reportedly carry 158 to 192 passengers.²
• The C919 jetliner, which can travel up to 3.5K miles, is reportedly designed for high-altitude plateaus and is expected to compete with Boeing's 737 MAX and Airbus' A320.³
• Four C919s have been flying with China Eastern Airlines since last May, while the company is said to have received over 1K orders, including 40 from Tibet Airlines on Tuesday.⁴
• According to PRC state-run media, the China Eastern Airlines' C919 fleet has docked over 2.2K flight hours, completed 655 commercial trips, and flown nearly 82K passengers as of Dec. 31, 2023.⁵
• The C919's international debut comes at a time when both Airbus and Boeing reportedly struggle to ramp up production to meet demand, and China's aviation authority gets closer to receiving European Union Aviation Safety Agency validation for its homegrown aircraft.⁶

Sources: ¹CNN, ²The Financial Express, ³Al Jazeera, ⁴CNA, ⁵CGTN and ⁶Reuters.

Narratives

• Pro-China narrative, as provided by Global Times. The C919, a prominent symbol of Beijing's broader 'Made in China' strategy, is the PRC's answer to Western-made Airbus and Boeing. It will not only break the dominant planemakers' hold on the international passenger market and make COMAC the third competitor in the global aviation sector but also help advance the PRC's footprint worldwide, reduce its reliance on foreign technology, challenge the US dominance of China's market, and strengthen Beijing's position as an aviation hub.
• Anti-China narrative, as provided by The Japan Times. The fact that the aircraft is only authorized to fly in the PRC and relies on international supply chains makes it far-fetched to suggest that Beijing's 'homegrown' C919 could challenge Airbus and Boeing. Moreover, besides cost and production issues, rising tensions between Beijing and Washington could make it difficult for COMAC to get certification from the US and European regulators and penetrate international markets. With the capacity to fly between five and six hours, the C919 is, at best, perfect for regional travel.

Predictions