Aeroplane C919: only or as much as 60%

chiny24.com 2 years ago

On May 28, this year, his first commercial flight took a jet narrow hull passenger aircraft C919. The device was designed and manufactured in China. The maker of this aircraft is China Commercial Aircraft corp Ltd. (中国商用飞机有限责任公司), known as COMAC).

On his first commercial journey C919 went in the colors of Chinese airline China east Airlines Co. (中国东方航空公司), with nearly 150 passengers on board. The aircraft took off from Shanghai Airport and after more than 2 hours of flight landed at Beijing's capital airport.

In China, this event was considered historic, proving that the modern mediate State is at the forefront of technological and innovative thought.

Meanwhile, a number of articles and critical accounts appeared in the abroad media, undermining the importance of the full Chinese task to build their own passenger aircraft.

From a Chinese perspective, after years of preparation and long-term work, the Western aviation monopoly was broken. The first beneficiaries of this process will be unquestionably Chinese airlines. The project's success is failure and possible threat to Airbus and Boeing.

And there's something to fight for.

Over the next 20 years, China will request over 9,000 passenger aircraft. By 2040, China will be the largest aviation marketplace in the world. So far, these 2 abroad corporations dominated. And that could change. C919 is half as inexpensive as Boeing 737. And that means large savings for airlines.

Western media have raised a critical argument that C919 is only partially a Chinese aircraft, as about 40% of parts, components, devices and solutions come from abroad suppliers specified as General Electric, Parker Aerospace, Rockwell Collins, Michelin or Safran.

It is worth remembering, however, that the Boeing aircraft are created as a consequence of cooperation with about 12 1000 suppliers from 58 countries, and Airbus machines are the consequence of cooperation with 8 1000 direct cooperators and about 18 1000 intermediates. Airbus aircraft are installed in factories in France, Germany, Spain, large Britain and... China. It is estimated that Boeing sells machines in 80% built on the basis of its own parts (produced by subsidiaries, or based on its own technologies), Airbus in 75%.

From this position 60% for C919 is not a bad result. Especially given that the full task is at the beginning of the improvement phase of production. And here, as demonstrated by the examples of the 2 largest manufacturers of passenger aircraft in the world, no 1 in the aviation manufacture produces their aircraft full on its own. This is 1 of those industrial areas where the key to success is the global supply chain. Aeroplanes require certain components, parts, equipment whose production is in the hands of highly specialized niche operators. Replacing their own products is simply a immense cost, an indefinite time, and above all the risks of introducing fresh elements, alternatively of guaranteed, proven.

China Commercial Aircraft corp Ltd. (中国商用飞机有限责任公司) intends to sale C919 on abroad markets. To accomplish this, the company must, among others, get safety certification issued by the applicable EU and US civilian aviation authorities.

Probably the biggest rivals of the fresh player, namely Boeing and Airbus, will lobby for the hold in issuing specified certification. China's entry into a well-kept marketplace means a drop in profits.

This is where COMAC's cooperation with suppliers from Europe and the United States can be helpful. In the interest of these suppliers, it will lie that C919 (and subsequent Chinese aircraft) get appropriate permits and, consequently, subsequent orders.

Already today, C919 attracts considerable interest among many abroad airlines.

The first passenger aircraft produced by COMAC (2017) was ARJ21-700, able to take up to 97 passengers, with a scope of 3700 km.

C919 is simply a narrow-hulled twin-engine aircraft that has been under improvement since 2015. This device can take on board (depending on the version) up to 192 passengers, has a scope of up to 5,550 km.

By the end of 2022, COMAC received 1035 orders for this aircraft, and in the first 5 months of 2023 the order portfolio increased by an additional 1,200 machines.

COMAC is presently working (with Russian partners) on a wide-hull aircraft, which was named CR929 (formerly known as C929), which will be able to take on board up to 280 passengers, and which is expected to scope up to 12,000 kilometres.