China’s aviation dreams take off

The maiden test flight of China’s C919 160-seat, single-aisle aircraft, produced by the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC), is the realisation of a dream for China, one formed decades before the C919 rolled off the production line in late 2015. 
The commercial jet industry has enormous barriers to entry, with no country or new company having entered the market since 1969. The complex and advanced manufacturing systems require massive investment and sophisticated supply chains, and the industry has strict safety and regulatory requirements. But since the global jet market is estimated to be worth US$2 trillion (Bt72 trillion) over the next 20 years, I can certainly appreciate China’s tenacity!
For China, a commercial aircraft manufacturing industry will help to reduce its reliance on foreign suppliers, a dependency that entails both commercial and security risks. China currently represents around 17 per cent of global demand for aircraft, and this will increase as it adds more than 7,000 new aircraft to its fleet over the next 20 years. Since the lead-in time for production is very long, almost all of these have already been pre-ordered from Europe’s Airbus and America’s Boeing. It will therefore take many years before China can truly compete with its established competition. 
Although the C919 was made in China, it still has a heavy foreign component parts – for instance, the engines were made by CFM International, a joint venture between the US’s General Electric and France’s Safran, while Honeywell from the US is supplying the flight control, wheels and brakes, auxiliary power and navigation. 
With a flying range of up to 5,555 kilometres (3,451 miles), the C919 should not only be suitable for domestic routes but will easily cover popular business and leisure routes from China such as Shanghai to Singapore and Beijing to Bangkok.
COMAC has already received orders for 570 planes, and commitments from 23 customers, mainly Chinese-owned carriers and leasing companies. 
The inaugural flight of the C919 is a major landmark for China as developing its own aviation industry will be a step up the value chain, supporting R&D and new technology that will benefit many sectors and industries. 
This will help China fulfil its aim of upgrading its manufacturing sector to a more advanced level and realign its export sectors to focus on more high-value products.
China’s progress in aviation may also support our own plans for ‘Thailand 4.0’, the strategy for a digitised and innovation-driven Thai economy. Thailand is aiming to become Asia’s leading aviation hub, with a specific focus on maintenance, repair, and operations. With China’s commercial jet production in the region, and extensive Chinese investment in Thailand, perhaps this could bode well for a future aviation partnership between our two countries.