New | China, Russia join the crowded sky: widebody planes to cut reliance on Airbus, Boeing
China’s domestic aircraft maker Comac and Russia’s United Aircraft Corp unveil the model of a twin-engine, wide-body plane at the Zhuhai Air Show
China’s state-run plane manufacturer said it was in talks with Russia to develop and build a widebody commercial jet that can break the duopoly long held by Airbus and Boeing in civilian aircraft.
The Commercial Aircraft Corp of China, also called Comac, is in talks with Russia’s United Aircraft Corp to produce a twin-aisle, long-haul commercial aircraft, said the Chinese company’s assistant president Guo Bozhi, during the Zhuhai Air Show this week.
The new aircraft, which does not have a name, will be designed to compete in the same category as Airbus’ A330 and A350 models, as well as Boeing’s 777 and 787 models.
The Chinese aircraft will adopt advanced aerodynamic design and engines with low fuel burn to make them more efficient and more economical for airlines to operate, he said.
“We aim to make the direct operating cost of our new widebody jet 10 per cent lower than our competitors,” Guo said.
A model of the proposed aircraft was unveiled in Zhuhai, displaying its logo with United’s name. The aircraft will come in three variants, with up to 280 seats in standard configuration, and a maximum range of 6,480 nautical miles (12,000km). The model may be named the C929 if Comac follows the 9X9 mnemonic tradition of its aircraft series.