China's aviation dream comes true

The C919 twin-engine plane, produced by the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC), certainly is the realisation of a dream for China. The first plan to build China’s own airliner was devised under Mao Zedong and three Y-10 jets were produced by the Shanghai Aircraft Research Institute back in the 1970s, but they were far from being commercially viable.

 

Foreign components

Although it was made in China, the C919 still has a heavy foreign component content – for example the engines were made by CFM International, a joint venture between the US’s General Electric, while France’s Safran and Honeywell from the US are supplying the flight control, wheels and brakes, auxiliary power and navigation.

Various dignitaries witnessed the unveiling of the first C919, among them China’s Vice Premier Ma Kai, who described aircraft manufacturing as a complicated technical process, and COMAC chairman Jin Zhuanglong, who said it was a long-term complex project – their words reflecting the struggle China has undergone to get this far. 

 

Advanced manufacturing

There are many reasons why China wants to establish a commercial aircraft manufacturing industry. It is a step up the value chain and will support R&D and new technology that will benefit many sectors and industries. This will help China fulfill its aim of upgrading its manufacturing sector to a more advanced level and realign its export sectors to include more high-value products.

More than 200 companies, 36 universities and hundreds of thousands of personnel were involved in the plane's development, which used advanced technologies, including new avionics and an airframe partially made of light composite materials, as in Boeing’s Dreamliner.

Having its own industry will also help China meet its huge demand for commercial airliners, which represents around 17 per cent of global demand. China expects to add more than 6,000 new aircraft to its fleet over the next 20 years.

 

Reducing dependence on West

A local industry will also help reduce China’s dependence on Europe’s Airbus and America’s Boeing, which are currently facing a record backlog of 12,000 orders. With a flying range of up to 5,555 kilometres, the C919 should easily cover popular business and leisure routes from China, such as Shanghai to Singapore and Beijing to Bangkok. 

COMAC already has orders for 517 planes, including from Thailand’s City Airways, which has ordered 10.

The first maiden voyage of the new CN919 is planned for next year and the earliest the aircraft will be delivered will 

be 2019.