(Singapore) The largest passenger plane produced in China is presented for the first time internationally, at the largest air show in Asia, which opened Tuesday in Singapore.
With its C919, Beijing would like to shake up a sector dominated for decades by the major aircraft manufacturers Airbus and Boeing, while reducing its dependence on foreign technologies.
This single-aisle is a potential competitor to the A320, the best-selling plane in the world, from the European Airbus, and the 737 MAX from the American Boeing, which finds itself in turmoil after a safety incident.
During a media presentation on Sunday in Singapore, the C919 made its first flight outside China, sporting a white, green and navy blue livery.
It will take part in daily flight demonstrations during the six days of the show, and will be among the aircraft on display at a sprawling convention center near Changi Airport.
The C919 is built by state-owned Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC), which also brought its ARJ21, a smaller and older twin-engine regional aircraft, to Singapore.
The C919 aircraft has been carrying out commercial flights in China since May. It was presented for the first time outside mainland China in Hong Kong in December.
The Chinese airline Tibet Airlines took advantage of the show to finalize an order for 40 C919 aircraft, as well as 10 ARJ21 aircraft.
The Henan Civil Aviation Development and Investment group also signed an agreement on Tuesday for six ARJ21s, configured for firefighting and medical operations, COMAC said in a press release, without quantifying the amounts of the two orders.
According to aviation analyst Shukor Yusof of Singapore-based consultancy Endau Analytics, it will be difficult to quickly find a buyer for the C919 among major carriers.
“‘Made in China’ is still stigmatized in the aeronautics industry, even though China is today the world leader in the electric vehicle market,” he told AFP.
“It will take time for the C919 to be ordered by a major carrier,” he added, although “the question is when, not if, a major airline will purchase a commercial aircraft made in China.”
China also used the show to showcase military models, displaying for the first time the Z-10ME attack helicopter, its answer to the American-made Apache.
Boeing keeps a “low profile”
More than 1,000 companies from the aviation and defense sector participate in the show, which takes place every two years.
If Boeing is present at the show, it will not present a commercial aircraft, unlike in previous years.
The American aircraft manufacturer announced on Tuesday an order from the airline Thai Airways for 45 Dreamliners and another for four Dreamliners intended for Royal Brunei Airlines.
But at the Singapore show, “Boeing is intentionally keeping a low profile and avoiding the limelight as it struggles with an outdated product line, the 737 family,” Shukor commented.
Boeing has not yet recovered from the spectacular incident that occurred in January when a door of an Alaska Airlines 737 MAX 9 detached from the cabin in mid-flight, causing minor injuries.
A preliminary report from the US Transportation Safety Agency (NTSB) concluded that four bolts supposed to hold the door were missing. Removed at the Renton (Washington State) factory during a repair, they had not been put back in place, according to the investigation.
At the Singapore show, organizers expect 50,000 trade visitors from around the world, which is close to pre-COVID-19 pandemic levels.
A watered-down show was organized in 2020, in the midst of COVID-19, after the withdrawal of many exhibitors. The 2022 edition took place without the two days open to the public.
Recalling that 2018 was the most important edition of the show, Leck Chet Lam, general manager of Experia, the organizer of the event, stressed that 2024 was close to this level, reflecting the global recovery of air transport.