China-made engines roar to life as Shanghai air show returns from hiatus

The Shanghai International Commercial Airshow, an industry event not held in four years, has made its return
Chinese manufacturers tout accomplishments in engine production and international cooperation, with showpiece plane C919 still the main attraction

China manufacturing

Amanda Leein Shanghai

Published: 7:00pm, 23 Nov 2023

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For the first time since 2019, the three-day Shanghai International Commercial Airshow has taken wing. The industry showcase is putting China’s indigenous engine designs in the spotlight, in particular a likely future power source for the C919 – the home-grown jet serving as a symbol of the country’s advancement in aviation, a notoriously technical and globally interlocked industry.

Chen Shaoyang, vice-president of the state-owned Aero Engine Corporation of China (AECC), one of the show’s organisers, said the company would “open up and cooperate” with both domestic and international companies.

“The AECC wishes to work with both domestic and international partners, thriving in new opportunities and exploring new collaboration,” Chen said at the opening ceremony on Thursday. The Shanghai air show is being held at the same time as Aero Asia in Zhuhai, Guangdong province, another industry gathering putting Chinese manufacturers front and centre.

China’s domestic market requires thousands of new aircraft

Alex Vlielander, Liebherr-Aerospace

The AECC is the architect of the CJ-1000A high-bypass turbofan jet engine, intended to eventually power future generations of the C919. The airliner currently uses the LEAP engine made by CFM International, a joint venture between the US’ GE Aerospace and France’s Safran Aircraft Engines.

A number of foreign joint venture partners with Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (Comac) were present at the air show, including Germany’s Liebherr-Aerospace. Comac manufactures the C919, which was produced to compete with Boeing’s 737 and Airbus’s A320 and entered commercial operation in May after more than 14 years of development.

Liebherr-Aerospace is responsible for the development of the landing gear system on the C919, and its components are also being used on Comac’s ARJ21 regional jet.

03:01

China’s C919 passenger jet completes maiden commercial flight from Shanghai to Beijing

“Liebherr-Aerospace expects a strong production ramp-up at Comac, as China’s domestic market requires thousands of new aircraft in the coming 20 years to comply with increasing demand,” said Alex Vlielander, chief customer officer at Liebherr-Aerospace. “Liebherr foresees that the ARJ21 and C919 will be a market success.”

US companies such as GE Aerospace and Parker Aerospace were among the exhibitors at the air show, although American heavyweight Boeing was absent. French rival Airbus, however, is running a booth with models of one of its bestselling planes to Chinese airlines, the A330neo.

Poor relations between Beijing and Washington have had severe downstream effects on aviation. The US government has tightened controls on the export of what it deems dual-use items, with trade bans levied on a number of Chinese aerospace companies and institutions labelled as military end users (MEUs) – including units under the AECC.

A replica of a CJ-family engine developed by Aero Engine Corporation of China at the opening day of the first Shanghai International Commercial Airshow. Photo: CNS

Dual-use items, which cover software and technology, can be used for both civilian and military applications, and exporters are required to secure a license if they want to sell to MEUs.

In the run-up to a meeting earlier this month between President Xi Jinping and US President Joe Biden in San Francisco on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit, speculation mounted that Chinese airlines would resume buying Boeing’s planes as part of a broader thaw in ties. However, no announcements have been made.

Besides the CJ-1000A, several other AECC designs are being displayed in Shanghai. The CJ-2000, currently in development for Comac’s C929 widebody jet, is on view along with the AEP-500 turboprop engine.

A model of the PD-14 engine made by Russia’s United Engine Corporation (UEC), a subsidiary of state conglomerate Rostec, is also being shown opposite the CJ-1000A. A UEC company representative said the show offered a good platform to showcase its products but declined to comment on whether there have been discussions or plans related to working with Chinese partners.

Media reports have suggested Russian aerospace and defence company United Aircraft Corporation has dropped out of a partnership with Comac to develop the CR929.

But Comac has said it will push ahead alone, designing and manufacturing the C929 solo in light of heavy sanctions on Russian aerospace companies by the US and its allies following Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine last year.