While celebrating this week the entry into commercial service of its flagship aircraft, the C919, with two airlines (Air China and China Southern), COMAC is studying the opening of offices outside its country of origin with the aim of boosting the international commercialization of the model, which seeks to compete with the Airbus A320 and Boeing 737 families, if not in the main Western markets, at least in developing regions such as Asia, Africa, or Latin America.
Citing sources close to the matter, the newspaper The Straits Times reports that COMAC could announce the opening of an office in Hong Kong in October, a territory that, given its administrative particularity, is familiar and can serve as a gateway to the global market. However, the Chinese state-owned manufacturer is also exploring opportunities in Singapore, specifically in Suntec City, near the country’s business district. The company did not respond to the newspaper’s requests for comments on this information.
The COMAC C919 entered commercial service in May 2023 with China Eastern Airlines, following the program development phase that began in 2011.
All of the more than 1,000 C919s that COMAC claims to have firm orders for are from Chinese airlines. Last year, GallopAir, from Brunei, signed a letter of intent for 30 aircraft, which, if materialized, would be the first firm foreign order for the C919.
Currently, there are already nine aircraft operating in China, the only country where it has been certified, although last month they stated that they were working towards achieving European certification by 2025, a date that the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) reportedly considered unlikely, given that it is a completely new aircraft. This certification would be key for COMAC, as it would open the C919 to the African market, where China maintains significant commercial relationships with most countries.
One COMAC product that has managed to cross the Chinese border is the ARJ21, a model similar to the iconic MD-80 or DC-9, which has been in operation since 2015. Transnusa, from Indonesia, has two aircraft in commercial service (out of 30 ordered), while GallupAir from Brunei and Equatorial Congo Airlines have ordered 12 and 3 aircraft, respectively.
COMAC foresees that more than 40,600 new airplanes will be delivered in the global market between 2020 and 2039, totaling around 5.9 trillion dollars. Of these, the volume of deliveries of the Chinese aircraft C919 and ARJ21, developed by the company, could reach around 732 billion dollars.
The C919 has versions with different seating capacities (from 158 to 192), similar to its Western competitors from Airbus and Boeing. The average flight range of the C919 is about 4,100 km, and the maximum is 5,500 km, with the ability to fly at an altitude of up to 12,000 m.
C919’s potential in Latin America
The future of the C919 on an international level will always depend on the commercial relationships that the Chinese government maintains with different countries. If we had to identify potential markets in Latin America where the C919 could operate, two names would immediately come to mind: Bolivia and Venezuela.
Currently, these two countries would be strong candidates to incorporate Chinese-made aircraft into their state-owned airlines, Conviasa and Boliviana de Aviación. Both countries maintain a good relationship with the Asian giant, which could thus be the gateway for the C919 to enter the region, which is currently well supplied by Airbus, Boeing, and Embraer.
