Establishing a competitive aerospace industry is an economic goal and a geopolitical imperative for China, says this aviation expert.
China 's first domestically manufactured passenger aircraft Comac C919 flies over Victoria Harbour during its inaugural voyage outside the mainland, in Hong Kong, China , on Dec 16, 2023. The new daily route, linking Shanghai Hongqiao and Hong Kong, has been hailed by Beijing as a landmark milestone in showcasing the C919 to the world. Until now, the aircraft had flown exclusively on domestic routes operated by Chinese state-owned airlines.
The stakes are high. But for all its fanfare, the C919 is not the ultimate goal for Beijing. As I argued in an earlier article for The Interpreter, the jet’s significance lies not just in its engineering but as a tool for diplomacy and national prestige under Xi Jinping., where China’s Tibet Airlines announced an order for 40 C919 planes. In fact, orders for the aircraft have been confined to Chinese-owned airlines.
The joint venture ultimately collapsed, leaving China with outdated designs and some technological know-how. The ARJ21, heavily derived from the MD-80, retained a 1980s airframe and struggled to meet modern performance standards, limiting its appeal even domestically.The C919, by contrast, was marketed as a shift from this joint-venture legacy.
If successful, this would make the C929 more homegrown of a jet than the C919, reducing China’s reliance on Western technology.Commentary: China’s COMAC will not rock Airbus-Boeing boat for now, but it’s a matter of time
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