China aviation at new heights with the C919

The Chinese aerospace industry has a multifaceted attraction, being about technological and economic growth, commercial interests, diplomacy and prestige.

A milestone on several levels has therefore been attained with pre-delivery test flights under way for the nation’s first commercial passenger plane that will be a direct competitor to aircraft produced by the global duopoly of Boeing and Airbus.

The aviation dominance of the American and European firms is a challenge for the state-run Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (Comac), its C919 narrow-bodied jet directly taking on the decades-long success of the B737 and A320.

But competition is good, spurring innovation and technological advances that will benefit passengers and cargo operators in China, the region and beyond.

Comac hopes to deliver its first C919 in a matter of months to its Shanghai hometown carrier, China Eastern Airlines. The firm has ordered five of the two-engine, single-aisle, jets and is among 28 operators to have shown an interest.

But moving from the drawing board in 2011 to being on the cusp of delivery has been drawn out several years longer than anticipated, with regulatory, technological and supply issues causing delays.

A particular problem has been the trade war between the United States and China, and restrictions imposed by the administration of former president Donald Trump holding up shipments of Western-manufactured engines and parts.

US-EU united front seen as impediment to Beijing’s tech goals

Self-sufficiency is a goal for China in many industrial sectors and remains a long-term aspiration in aerospace. The C919 falls technologically short of the aircraft of Boeing and Airbus, understandable given their decades of experience.

But while the jet lacks the advanced flight systems, range and lower weight of the competitors, it does have the advantage of being less expensive.

That could prove attractive to the Chinese and Asian markets, which are predicted to undergo the greatest growth in the next decade; China alone is forecast to account for one-fifth of all new passenger aircraft.

Newcomers to an industry require tenacity and a vision to succeed. But regardless of whether the C919 can break the dominance of its rivals, it is still a symbol of China’s push for technological and manufacturing prowess.