There is a rumor on Chinese social media that the homegrown C919 Passenger Jetliner has failed its verification test. The aircraft scheduled to fly from Shanghai to Hefei via Beijing on February 1, faced a mid-flight technical issue and returned back to Shanghai. 

As per the reports, there was some complication with the left-handed thrust lever, due to which the pilot was forced to turn back the flight mid-air. This flight was part of the 100-hour verification process required for the aircraft to be certified to fly passengers. 

The incident has put a dent in China’s aviation dreams as the C919 was supposed to put China on the global aviation map. 

C919 Jetliner is China’s first indigenous passenger aircraft, scheduled to fly commercially this spring. Manufactured by COMAC (Commercial Aircraft Corp of China), the Jetliner holds a very important position in China’s geopolitical and economic policies. 

China is the largest aviation market in the world with the number of domestic air passengers increasing every year. It ranks second in air passenger traffic right behind the US and is expected to outgrow America by 2040. To leverage the economic advantage of this huge market, Beijing is trying to create an independent aircraft that can take on industry giants like Boeing and Airbus. 

China established the COMAC in 2008 in Shanghai to fulfill its civil aviation goals. COMAC is a state-owned design and manufacturing company that makes large and mid-sized passenger aircraft for the country. 

The C919 jetliner is the first independent passenger aircraft designed and developed by COMAC that fits the international standards of airworthiness. The airworthiness standards are special technical and safety standards established to ensure civil aircraft’s airworthiness.

C919 is a  twin-engine, single-aisle short to medium-range passenger aircraft that features a standard range of 4075 km and a maximum range of 5555 km. The aircraft comes with a price tag of $99 million, which is cheaper than the $122 million Airbus A320 and $111 million Boeing 737 Max.  The C919 had its first successful maiden flight in 2017 and is now conducting the final certification procedures. 

Despite the failed flight on February 1, the aircraft took another successful flight to Urumqi International airport on February 4. This was the jetliner’s first long-range demonstration flight, taken to evaluate cabin comfort. The aircraft is officially sold to China Eastern Airlines and will make its maiden passenger flight sometime in the spring of this year 

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China’s indigenous C919 jetliner is set to take its first passenger flight in the Spring of 2023. The C919 is a part of commercial passenger aircraft made by COMAC (Commercial Aircraft Corp of China). Once in operation, the aircraft will put China on the global aviation map and help Beijing to end the duopoly of US-based Boeing and France-based Airbus. 

Airbus SE is the world’s biggest aircraft manufacturer. Though the company also makes military aircraft and helicopters, its major business comes from commercial passenger airlines. In 1972, Airbus launched the A300, the first-ever aircraft to have a digital fly-by-wire interface as well as dual engines and aisles. It then launched the upgraded A320 aircraft, which was designed with similar features and is considered the most popular and safest passenger aircraft in the world.

Boeing is famous in the aviation industry. The American corporation not only makes passenger aircraft but also manufactures weapon systems, satellites, and rockets.  Boeing 747, 737, and Dreamliner models are extremely popular across the globe. However, Boeing faced serious backlash for the crash of Lion Air Flight 610 and Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302, which led to a worldwide grounding of Boeing 737 Max from March 2019 to December 2022. Some countries including China lifted the ban just this month. 

China ranks second in the world, after US, for air passenger traffic and has the fastest-growing air passenger market. Thus, Beijing is highly motivated to make indigenous aircraft so that it can leverage the economic advantage of the massive market and reduce the dependency on international players like Airbus and Boeing. Moreover, complete dependence on foreign firms also increases the risk to national security and other geopolitical issues. Therefore, China wishes to become fully self-reliant when it comes to the civil aviation industry.

China Has Been Looking Forward To This Moment Since 2008

To fulfill China’s Civil Aviation dreams, the COMAC was established in 2008 in Shanghai. The state-owned aerospace manufacturer designs and manufactures large passenger aircraft for the country.  The C919, twin-engine, single aisle short to medium-range passenger aircraft designed by COMAC will become the country’s first commercial passenger aircraft. The name C919 has a special meaning wherein the C stands for China, ‘9’ in Chinese is pronounced as ‘九’ which means everlasting and enduring and 19 represents the aircraft’s max capacity of 190 seats. 

C919 will try to compete with the world-famous Airbus A320 and Boeing 737 Max medium-range aircraft. The C919 features a standard range of 4075 km and a maximum range of 5555 km. The aircraft comes with a price tag of $99 million, which is cheaper than the $122 million Airbus A320 and $111 million Boeing 737 Max.

However, while the C919 is designed and assembled in China, like Boeing and Airbus, it also depends on global partnerships and collaborations for certain crucial parts and technological know-how. For example, COMAC uses LEAP-1C engines specifically designed for the company by CFM, a joint venture between GE Aviation of the US and Safran Aircraft Engines of France. 

The C919 had its first successful maiden flight in 2017 and is now conducting the final certification procedures.  As of December 26, the aircraft has completed a total of 100 hours of verification flights. China Eastern Airlines had already signed a contract to buy five C919 jetliners in March 2021 and will be the first air carrier to fly passengers on this aircraft.

COMAC Has Received 1200 Orders From 32 Customers

Zhang Yujin, deputy general manager of COMAC said that China Eastern Airlines has the first batch of orders, and several airlines are vying for their planes. In the next five years, the company is expecting to produce 150 aircraft annually. According to the Science and Technology Commission of Shanghai, COMAC has already received more than 1200 orders from 32 customers. 

The initial demand for C919 will be focused in China but according to the recent report from Mercator Institute for China Studies (MERICS), the C919 has the capacity to go global by breaking the Boeing-Airbus duopoly in the domestic market and then leveraging that success to explore overseas markets.

Global players are already vying for the Chinese aviation market. As China has the second-largest number of passenger air travelers it is a lucrative and important market for the global aviation industry. In 2022 alone, Airbus made 662 deliveries out of which 100 aircraft were for Chinese air carriers and Boeing made 480 deliveries out of which 8 were sold to Chinese airlines. For both these giants, the rise of COMAC and homegrown aircraft by China can pose a potential threat to their hegemony. 

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