How Comac could change the ABCs of commercial aviation in China
- The Chinese manufacturer is preparing its C919 for the runway to eventually rival to Airbus’s A320 and Boeing’s B737
- Aircraft won’t be a game changer but might capture market share, analyst says
While the United States and Europe waged a 17-year trade battle over subsidies to Boeing and Airbus, China poured money into its own commercial aircraft to take on the Western aviation duopoly.
It took a common threat for the US and Europe to finally put an end to their dispute this past week, as the two sides signed a five-year truce suspending tit-for-tat tariffs.
Comac expects to obtain airworthiness certification from Chinese air traffic regulators this year, coinciding with the 100th anniversary of the Chinese Communist Party.
The aircraft received between US$49-US$72 billion in state subsidies, much more than the aid that Airbus and Boeing were given by their governments, according to Scott Kennedy, senior adviser at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies in Washington.