Alba Sanz/Digital Aviation, Sp.- China has made the definitive leap into commercial aviation, seeking to become the new competition for Airbus and Boeing, after Commercial Aircraft Corp of China Ltd delivered its first C919 airliner. This aircraft, with the capacity to carry 164 passengers in one executive class cabin and one tourist class cabin, will be operated by the airline China Eastern Airlines and the airline is expected to receive four more C919 aircraft over the next two years, starting commercial operations next spring..
The delivery of the aircraft was carried out at the Shanghai Pudong International Airportlocality from which the plane took off for a short flight to Hongqiao airport, located about 50 kilometers from the same city.
New era in the history of commercial aviation?
Until now, Comac has received a total of 1,115 orders for the production of C919 aircraft, highlighting the Chinese clientele in this total. And it is that these new aircraft are intended to serve the regional market of the Asian giant, thus being a direct competitor for the Airbus A320neo models, as well as for the Boeing B737 Max.
According to the manufacturer himself, “The C919 is the first passenger aircraft developed entirely by a Chinese entity. in accordance with internationally accepted airworthiness standards and with independent intellectual property rights”.
One of the features that make it a competitor to the world’s leading aircraft manufacturers is that the Chinese aircraft has a more affordable price. Its price is approximately $99 million while the A320neo was sold for approximately $111 millionfollowed by the B737 Max for approximately $122 million.
However, the Comac company has a series of limitations that can hinder the race for leadership in the Chinese market. In this line, the A320neo and 737 Max continue to maintain increased passenger capacitythe A320neo being the leader in this area as it can carry a total of 194 passengers while the 737 Max can carry between 138 and 204 passengers.
Another of its limitations is the limitation of the C919 itself as the company will need more time to produce it than Airbus and Boeing. In this sense, the Comac company is expected to produce around 25 aircraft by 2030.being a smaller and more time consuming production than western competitors.
However, the production of the C919 is no small feat as it is, for the first time, an aircraft of Chinese production you will compete directly with western manufacturers. This comes even after the Civil Administration of China, CAAC, issued the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC) the production certificate for this new aircraft, so that it can begin official production under a quality control system.
The “One belt, one road” chino.
The new production of the C919 can be framed within the Chinese strategypromoted by leader Xi Jinping, which aims to be one of the most ambitious infrastructure projects in the world, so that China can occupy key commercial positions.
This development and investment initiative It is already spreading from East Asia to Europe via the African continentand its aim is to establish Beijing’s influence, both economically and politically, in the most transcendental sectors, thus entering into competition with the United States.
Up to now, more than sixty countries, which translates into two-thirds of the world’s population, have signed up for projects or have indicated their interest in doing so with China and each time these numbers increase significantly. We will see if the Asian giant will be able to forge its presence in the aviation sector, even if for the moment it has already managed to approve the production of its C919, thus diversifying the oligopoly of aeronautical production as regards the civil sector.
