China’s homegrown passenger jet makes international debut

By Chris Lau, CNN

Published 5:43 AM EST, Mon February 19, 2024

The C919 conducts a flyby at the Singapore Airshow at Changi Exhibition Centre on February 18, 2024.

Hong KongCNN —

Beijing’s C919 airliner, a potential rival to Western-made Boeing and Airbus planes, made its first foray outside Chinese territory on Sunday by staging a flyby at the Singapore Airshow.

The single-aisle jet, manufactured by the state-owned Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (Comac), is a prominent symbol of Beijing’s broader “Made in China” strategy, which aims to reduce reliance on foreign manufacturers.

China calls the C919, which can carry just under 200 passengers, its first large homegrown passenger jet. The aircraft took to the skies for its first commercial flight last May. It s certified to carry passengers only within mainland China and flies with China Eastern Airlines.

This is “the first time we will be having exhibitors from China,” Cindy Koh, executive vice-president of Singapore’s Economic Development Board, one of the airshow’s organizers, told reporters Sunday.

China has made no secret of its ambition to eventually compete against Boeing (BA) and Airbus (ABNB). The C919’s overseas debut comes at a time when Boeing is making headlines for all the wrong reasons. Last month, part of the fuselage of a 737 Max 9 Boeing plane fell off during an Air Alaska flight in the United States.

Shukor Yusof, founder of Endau Analytics, a firm that tracks the aviation industry, said the C919 would be “the most scrutinized aircraft at the Singapore Airshow,” an event that draws company executives and high-ranking government officials from around the world.

“There is a lot of interest to see the actual aircraft, how it performs and how it is in flight,” he said.

The C919 mid-flight

Currently, only a handful of countries make their own planes because of extremely high barriers to entry in the industry. A high level of technical expertise, as well as huge amounts of time and resources, is needed.

The C919, for instance, has cost its backer an estimated $49 billion in development, manufacturing and other costs, according to the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, though it says pinning down precisely how much is a tough task because Comac’s finances are opaque.

In December, it conducted a demonstration flight in Hong Kong’s Victoria Harbour, in its first voyage outside mainland China.

Yusof said rising tensions between Beijing and Washington would also make it difficult for Comac to find a market in the West.

“You can’t run away (from) all the politics with China and the rest of the world, and that sigma is going to stick with them for quite a while,” he said.

The model has not yet been certified by American and European aviation regulators, which Yusof said was “a big disadvantage.”

With capacity to fly between five to six hours, the C919 is perfect for regional travel, he added, saying it had the potential to appeal to countries in Southeast Asia, Africa and Central Asia, which are politically more friendly to China.

“It will become a competitor in a small way, but it won’t be in the same league as Airbus and Boeing,” he said.

Last year, Indonesian low-cost airline TransNusa became Comac’s first overseas customer, snapping up its ARJ21, a regional jet that can carry just under 100 passengers.

China’s homegrown passenger jet makes international debut

中国国产客机在国际上首次亮相

Beijing’s C919 airliner, a potential rival to Western-made Boeing and Airbus planes, made its first foray outside Chinese territory on Sunday by staging a flyby at the Singapore Airshow.

中国的C919客机是西方波音和Airbus飞机的潜在竞争对手，周日在新加坡航展上进行了飞行，这是第一次在中国境外。

The single-aisle jet, manufactured by the state-owned Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (Comac), is a prominent symbol of Beijing’s broader “Made in China” strategy, which aims to reduce reliance on foreign manufacturers.

这架单通道喷气式飞机由国有的中国商用飞机公司制造，是中国更广泛的“中国制造”这一战略的一个突出象征，该战略旨在减少对外国制造商的依赖。

China calls the C919, which can carry just under 200 passengers, its first large homegrown passenger jet. The aircraft took to the skies for its first commercial flight last May. It s certified to carry passengers only within mainland China and flies with China Eastern Airlines.

中国称C919是其第一架国产大型客机，可搭载近200名乘客。该飞机于去年5月首次商业飞行。目前只有在中国大陆境内载客的资质，由中国东方航空公司飞行。

This is “the first time we will be having exhibitors from China,” Cindy Koh, executive vice-president of Singapore’s Economic Development Board, one of the airshow’s organizers, told reporters Sunday.

这是“我们第一次有来自中国的参展商”，航展组织者之一、新加坡经济发展委员会执行副主席Cindy Koh周日告诉记者。

China has made no secret of its ambition to eventually compete against Boeing (BA) and Airbus (ABNB). The C919’s overseas debut comes at a time when Boeing is making headlines for all the wrong reasons. Last month, part of the fuselage of a 737 Max 9 Boeing plane fell off during an Air Alaska flight in the United States.

中国毫不掩饰其想与波音和Airbus竞争的雄心。C919在海外首次亮相的时候，波音公司正因种种错误上头条新闻。上个月，一架737 Max 9波音飞机在美国阿拉斯加航空公司的一次飞行中，部分机身脱落。

Shukor Yusof, founder of Endau Analytics, a firm that tracks the aviation industry, said the C919 would be “the most scrutinized aircraft at the Singapore Airshow,” an event that draws company executives and high-ranking government officials from around the world.

追踪航空业的Endau Analytics公司创始人Shukor Yusof表示，C919将是“新加坡航展上最受关注的飞机”，航展吸引了来自世界各地的公司高管和高级政府官员。

“There is a lot of interest to see the actual aircraft, how it performs and how it is in flight,” he said.

“人们对看到真正的飞机、它的性能以及它在飞行中的表现非常感兴趣”，他说道。

Currently, only a handful of countries make their own planes because of extremely high barriers to entry in the industry. A high level of technical expertise, as well as huge amounts of time and resources, is needed.

目前，由于进入该行业的门槛极高，只有少数几个国家能够生产自己的飞机。这需要高水平的技术专业知识以及大量的时间和资源。

The C919, for instance, has cost its backer an estimated $49 billion in development, manufacturing and other costs, according to the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, though it says pinning down precisely how much is a tough task because Comac’s finances are opaque.

据华盛顿战略与国际研究中心的数据，C919的研发、制造和其他成本估计为490亿美元，但该中心表示，由于中国商业飞行公司的财务不透明，准确确定其成本是比较困难。

In December, it conducted a demonstration flight in Hong Kong’s Victoria Harbour, in its first voyage outside mainland China.

去年12月，它在香港维多利亚港进行了一次演示飞行，这是首次在中国大陆之外演示。

Yusof said rising tensions between Beijing and Washington would also make it difficult for Comac to find a market in the West.

“You can’t run away (from) all the politics with China and the rest of the world, and that sigma is going to stick with them for quite a while,” he said.

(I believe it's better not to translate these two sentences.)

The model has not yet been certified by American and European aviation regulators, which Yusof said was “a big disadvantage.”

该型号尚未获得美国和欧洲航空监管机构的认证，Yusof表示这是“一个很大的劣势”.

With capacity to fly between five to six hours, the C919 is perfect for regional travel, he added, saying it had the potential to appeal to countries in Southeast Asia, Africa and Central Asia, which are politically more friendly to China.

他说C919的飞行能力在5到6个小时之间，非常适合区域飞行。他说，C919有可能对东南亚、非洲和中亚国家有吸引力，这些国家在political上对中国更友好。

“It will become a competitor in a small way, but it won’t be in the same league as Airbus and Boeing,” he said.

“它将在某种程度上成为一个竞争对手，但不会与Airbus和波音处于同一级别”，他说。

Last year, Indonesian low-cost airline TransNusa became Comac’s first overseas customer, snapping up its ARJ21, a regional jet that can carry just under 100 passengers.

去年，印尼低成本航空公司TransNusa成为中国商业飞行公司的第一个海外客户，抢购了其ARJ21，这是一款可搭载近100名乘客的区域飞机。