China’s new C919 narrow-body jet made by Commercial Aviation Corporation of China (COMAC), which competes with passenger jets from Airbus and Boeing, made its first trip outside China, flying at the China Air Show on Sunday. Singapore, Reuters and news.ro report

China has invested heavily in an attempt to challenge the dominance of two Western aircraft manufacturers in the global passenger jet market.

This year, China has indicated that it has intensified its efforts to promote the presence of C919 and COMAC domestically and abroad.

The aircraft is certified only in China, and the first of four C919s began flying for China Eastern Airlines last year.

As Airbus and Boeing struggle to ramp up production and meet demand for new planes, and Boeing faces a series of crises, the aviation industry is watching COMAC position itself as a viable alternative.

COMAC will invest tens of billions of yuan in the next 3-5 years to expand the production capacity of the C919 aircraft, a COMAC representative told Chinese media in January.

China’s aviation authority said last month it would seek European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) validation for the C919 this year, a process that began in 2018.

COMAC is one of two commercial aircraft manufacturers to fly off the coast of Singapore alongside Airbus for a preview of Asia’s biggest air show on Sunday.

Boeing will not produce a commercial aircraft this year.

COMAC has two passenger products: the ARJ21 regional jet and the larger 158-192-seat C919 twin-engine narrowbody airliner, which competes with the popular Airbus A320neo and Boeing 737 MAX 8 models.

The C919 made its first flight outside mainland China in December to Hong Kong.

ARJ21 planes are used by TransNusa Air from Indonesia.

Many in the industry warn that only four C919s are in service in China; the aircraft is certified only by Chinese regulators, and the C919 relies on international supply networks.

However, the supply crisis at the level of the aviation industry, which is testing the ability to achieve the expected full profitability and subsequently the growth of civilian capacity in Asia, is drawing more attention to COMAC.

“We are also seeing a growing trend of customers including the C919 option in their fleet valuation,” said Adam Cowburn of Alton Aviation Consultancy.

Two C919s were delivered in 2023.

Aviation consultancy IBA estimates that 7-10 C919s could be delivered in 2024.

“With Airbus and Boeing’s A320neo and 737 MAX narrow-body aircraft on sale for most of this decade, the C919 has a good opportunity to gain market share, especially in the domestic market,” said Mike Yeomans of the aviation consultancy. IBA.

He added that “the immediate challenges for COMAC are related to production to meet local demand and certification to enter international markets.”