Source: AFP
China’s first domestically produced passenger jet was unveiled at Asia’s biggest air show, which opened in Singapore on Tuesday, as Beijing tries to attract international buyers.
With the C919, Beijing wants to challenge the decades-long dominance of top plane makers Airbus and Boeing while reducing its reliance on foreign technology.
The single-aisle model from COMAC is a potential competitor to the market-leading A320, made by Europe’s Airbus, and the 737 MAX from America’s Boeing — which will keep a low profile at the Singapore Air Show after a recent crisis security.
At a media preview in the city-state on Sunday, the C919 made its maiden flight outside of China, sporting white, green and navy blue livery.
It will participate in daily flying displays at the six-day event and will feature in the static exhibits at an expansive convention center near Changi Airport.
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A C919 plane in eastern China was among dozens of commercial and military aircraft on the ground. Next to it were two ARJ21s, smaller commercial jets also built by the state-owned Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC).
Source: AFP
The C919 has been flying commercially in China since May and was first introduced outside mainland China in Hong Kong in December.
While it has yet to attract buyers outside the country, the C919 scored its first order at the air show from China’s Tibet Airlines, which signed a contract to buy 40 of them and 10 ARJ21s.
A COMAC representative at the air show would not provide a value for the order.
While the air show is a good opportunity for Beijing to show off the C919, finding a major buyer will be difficult, said aviation analyst Shukor Yusof of Singapore-based consultancy Endau Analytics.
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“There is still a stigma with the ‘made-in-China’ brand in the aviation industry, even if China now leads the world in the electric vehicle market,” he told AFP.
“It will take time for the C919 to land an order from a major carrier,” he said, although “it’s a matter of when, not if, a top-tier airline buys a Chinese-built commercial jet.”
Boeing “lying low”
More than 1,000 aerospace and defense companies participate in the air show, which is held every two years.
Source: AFP
China, South Korea and the Czech Republic will have country stands for the first time, and Airbus is unveiling its new A350-1000 long-range plane.
But while Boeing will be present, it is not showing any physical commercial aircraft, unlike in previous years.
The company is still reeling from a near-catastrophe in January, when a fuselage panel on an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 9 jet blew off mid-flight.
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The incident, which caused only minor injuries, led the US Federal Aviation Administration to ground more than 170 MAX 9 planes for about three weeks.
“Boeing is deliberately laying low and avoiding the spotlight as it struggles with an outdated product line, the 737 family,” Shukor said.
Source: AFP
Organizers expect the show to draw 50,000 attendees from around the world — close to pre-pandemic levels.
A relaxed air show was held in 2020 after many exhibitors pulled out, and the 2022 edition went ahead, but without the two days open to the public.
“2018 was the highest we’ve ever had. We’re close to the best we’ve ever had,” said Leck Chet Lam, chief executive of event organizer Experia.
This reflects the global recovery in air travel, he said.
“International passenger traffic has almost returned to pre-pandemic levels and is projected to more than double by 2040,” said Cindy Koh, executive vice-president of the Singapore Economic Development Board.
Source: AFP