The Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC), a state-owned Chinese aircraft manufacturer, established a new benchmark price for its C919, charging 108 million dollars per aircraft in its recent deal with Air China. This represents a 9 million increase compared to the price offered in 2022 to China Eastern Airlines.
Competing with [Boeing and Airbus]
As Boeing re-enters the Chinese market, COMAC has intensified its efforts to raise the market presence of the C919. The aircraft aims to compete with Boeing’s 737NG and Airbus’s A320ceo families in China’s huge domestic and medium-range market, along with its peripheral markets.
COMAC does not intend to make the C919 a global competitor: the company does not seek -nor will it seek- to certify the aircraft under FAA or EASA standards despite the substantial presence of Western components.
Government Support Sought for Market Expansion
Comac’s General Manager, Zhou Xinmin, recently called for additional government support, such as incentives for airlines and airports, to further promote the adoption of domestically produced aircraft.
The C919, with a capacity for 192 passengers and a range of 5,555 km, is a clear demonstration of Chinese industrial capability, which took decades to develop and which has the ARJ21 as its first example of the capacity -not easily acquired- for mass production of advanced technology aircraft.
This ambition extends to developing a wide-body aircraft, the C929, which was to be developed jointly with Russia but will continue to be produced alone- to further consolidate its position in the market.
With Boeing predicting a need for 8,560 new passenger jets in China by 2042, the country’s aviation landscape is set for a dynamic transformation. Taking a slice of this market ensures the economic survival of any manufacturer, and COMAC is proving that the aircraft works, as it has not presented any failures since its entry into commercial operation.
With certain operational assurance covered, the company believes that the ground has been broken. And that the C919 costs a little more, because it is worth it.
