Chinese C919 jet on display at Singapore Airshow, but not ready to compete

China’s C919 single-aisle jet made its international debut at the Singapore Air Show, attracting huge crowds of visitors and hundreds of orders, but analysts say it has a long way to go to compete with planes from market leaders Boeing and Airbus. Long way to go.

Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC) has received orders for more than 1,000 of the aircraft, mostly from Chinese airlines. The lack of international certification means the aircraft cannot operate commercially in most countries unless they recognize certification from China’s civil aviation regulator.

At last week’s air show, which attracted nearly 120,000 trade and public visitors, the C919 performed a flyover, allowing visitors to see first-hand the aircraft in action. The company’s only previous foray outside mainland China was in Hong Kong last December.

“This is quite symbolic and an important milestone in China’s efforts to become a commercial aircraft manufacturer alongside Airbus and Boeing,” said Brendan Sobie, an independent aviation analyst based in Singapore.

Another aspect that COMAC needs to work on is establishing a reliable distribution system and market support services for its aircraft before its aircraft can become a strong competitor to the Airbus A320neo and Boeing 737 Max narrow-body passenger aircraft.

“The challenge going forward is that in order to have a sustainable future, COMAC must prove that they can go beyond China’s borders,” said Mabel Kwan, managing director of consultancy Alton Aviation.

COMAC declined to make its executives available for interviews.

So far, the state-owned company said it has received domestic orders for 1,061 C919s but has yet to secure many international customers. The deal comes as Brunei-based GallopAir, backed by Chinese investors, signed a letter of intent in September to buy 30 aircraft from COMAC, including a C919 jet. Estimated value: $2 billion.

Comac faces similar supply chain challenges as Boeing and Airbus, which have a backlog of thousands of aircraft that have yet to be delivered. Although the C919 was designed in China, much of its technology and many components come from foreign suppliers. Its engines, for example, are built by CFM International, a joint venture between GE Aerospace and France’s Safran Aircraft Engines.

“China doesn’t own its own supply systems, its own avionics, its own engines, so they’re not affected by what’s going on globally,” Sobie said, adding that for suppliers who are also trying to catch up For businessmen, COMAC may not be a priority. The number of aircraft delivered to Boeing and Airbus continues to increase.

However, Guan said COMAC does have a broad talent pool from China, which may enable the company to develop more local technology and components for its aircraft in the long term.

“Currently, COMAC mainly uses Western technology…but with enough R&D, training and education, the entire ecosystem may be able to overcome [challenges in the long term],” she says.