China’s home-grown C919 aircraft hit by tough US export controls, limiting threat to Airbus and Boeing
- The United States requires special licences to export parts and technology assistance to any company with ties to the Chinese military
- The Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (Comac) has been unable to get timely help from suppliers and is reported to have run out of some spare parts
China’s C919 aircraft – a no-show at the country’s biggest air show this week – has found it harder to meet certification and production targets amid tough US export rules, according to three people with knowledge of the programme.
The state-owned manufacturer, Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (Comac), has been unable to get timely help from suppliers and has run out of some spare parts, those people said.
As of December, the United States has required special licences to export parts and technology assistance to any company with ties to the Chinese military.
US-linked suppliers are gradually receiving the licences, but the hiccup has slowed down Chinese certification, and months-long delays threaten to affect early production, said the people, who declined to be named because of the sensitivity of the matter.
The state-backed airline said in August it expects to receive its first C919 by the end of the year, two in 2022 and two more in 2023.
A slow production would mean the C919 will not pose a near-term threat to Airbus and Boeing, which produce dozens of narrow bodies a month.