Meet the Comac C919, the first mainline airliner made by a Chinese company that could begin deliveries this year
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Taylor RainsFeb 13, 2022, 19:39 IST
Comac C919.Shi Yuge/VCG via Getty Images
Chinese planemaker Comac is hoping to deliver its first C919 passenger jet this year, six years later than expected.
The narrowbody plane has had a long production due to technical issues and shipping delays.
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The C919 is a narrowbody passenger jet made by state-owned aerospace manufacturer Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (Comac), built to rival the industry's top planemakers, Boeing and Airbus.
After beginning production in December 2011, the first C919 prototype rolled off the assembly line in November 2015 and completed its inaugural flight over Shanghai in May 2017.
The first C919 rolls off the assembly line in 2015.STR/AFP via Getty Images
Specifically, Comac was impacted by restrictions imposed by the Trump Administration in 2020 that blacklisted shipments of things like fight controls and jet engines.
About 60% of the C919 parts are supplied by American companies, so Comac was forced to rely on special licenses from entities like General Electric and Honeywell to get the parts it needed for the jet, according to a report by the Center for Strategic & International Studies, a think tank based in Washington, DC.
While the company has faced political and technical challenges, it also failed to secure the C919's local certification from China's aviation regulator, the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC), by the end of 2021.
However, the CAAC says the C919's approval is a key focus for 2022. According to Zhenmei, the agency has imposed strict airworthiness standards for the jet, including over 40,000 days of manpower to review everything.
On January 19, 2022, Comac's deputy general manager, Wu Yongliang, told state-controlled media outlet The Paper that "all work is progressing in an orderly manner."
China Eastern Airlines will be the C919's launch customer, which has a firm order for five jets to be operated by its low-cost subsidiary OTT Airlines. The carrier currently flies another Comac-made plane, the ARJ21.
OTT Airlines Comac AJR21 at Shanghai Pudong International Airport.Yin Liqin/China News Service via Getty Images
In addition to China Eastern, a total of 815 firm and provisional orders have been made from 28 entities, most of which are Chinese carriers, like Hainan Airlines...
While the list price has not been revealed, analysts expect it to be around $50 million. That is over 50% less than Boeing's 737-800 and Airbus' A320neo, which are about $106 million and $111 million, respectively, as of 2021.
The aircraft has a range of 4,075 to 5,555 kilometers (2,532 to 3,452 miles) and can seat between 158 and 168 passengers, depending on the cabin configuration.
To do this, China has been accused of launching a multi-year hacking operation to acquire the intellectual property of the foreign companies that supply parts for the jet, according to a Crowdstrike report published in 2019 and a Department of Justice indictment.
Employees working on the C919.HECTOR RETAMAL/AFP via Getty Images
Regardless if the C919 ever operates outside China, the country hopes the jet will help it become more technologically self-reliant and advance China's aircraft manufacturing industry.
Comac C919.Costfoto/Barcroft Media via Getty Images
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