China’s home-grown narrowbody passenger jet, the C919, took to the Singapore skies on Sunday to prepare for its first-ever international display – a move that may help its developer promote the aircraft as a viable option for overseas buyers and aid Beijing in its crusade to become a global player in aviation.
The plane, bearing the livery of manufacturer Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (Comac), had touched down at the city state’s Changi Airport a few days earlier according to the Aviation Week Network, concluding the model’s first journey outside its home country.
It will “meet the public” during this week’s Singapore Airshow 2024 and take part in “demonstrations”, said the official Xinhua News Agency.
Another C919, operated by China Eastern Airlines, arrived in Singapore early Saturday morning after a nonstop 4,200km (2,610 miles) flight that took about six hours, the airline said.
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A look inside China’s home-grown civilian passenger jets, the ARJ21 and C919
A look inside China’s home-grown civilian passenger jets, the ARJ21 and C919
Five Comac planes will be present at the air show in total – the two C919s, as well as three ARJ21 regional jets.
Thursday’s Singapore sojourn marked the first time the aircraft has flown over international airspace across at least two air navigation service providers, Aviation Week Network said.
At the Singapore Airshow, slated to run from February 20 to 25, the aircraft is expected to grab attention, analysts and Chinese media reports said.
Organisers for the show, Asia’s largest event for the aviation sector, expect about 1,000 exhibitors and 50,000 visitors, including government and military representatives.
China’s plane “is kind of like a milestone, and it’s the storyline for the show,” said Brendan Sobie, founder of the Singapore-based aviation consultancy Sobie Aviation.
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Why it took China’s home-grown C919 plane 15 years to start flying passengers
Why it took China’s home-grown C919 plane 15 years to start flying passengers
That presents an opening for Comac and its C919, the product of 15 years of development. It also aligns with Beijing’s goals for its aviation industry, as the country aims to break the duopoly of the US-based Boeing and the EU’s Airbus over the long run.
However, John Grant, a senior analyst with the British aviation intelligence firm OAG, expressed doubt over whether this showing will be a watershed moment.
“It will obviously get some interest and the PR machine will be working overtime to promote its operating characteristics,” he said.
“But in reality I can’t see this breaking into the market – aside from politically-led trade deals with other countries where local carriers are struggling and [need] access to hard US dollars, which the aviation market requires [and] are hard to come by.”
Shanghai-based China Eastern Airlines is the only operator with commercial routes for the C919, with regular flights between Shanghai and Chengdu running since last May.
[It’s] an opportunity for Comac to go to the next stage in terms of marketing
The C919’s appearance at the air show represents “an opportunity for Comac to go to the next stage in terms of marketing” even if it makes no sales during this week’s show, Sobie said.
China has invested heavily in commercial jet manufacturing to increase self-reliance in an industry historically linked with the global sourcing of components – an effort to trim imports at a time of rising competition with the United States over market share in advanced technology.