On Sunday, China presented its new domestically produced commercial airliner by staging a demonstration flight at the Singapore Airshow. The event was the first time that the aircraft had ever flown outside of Chinese airspace.
Manufactured by the state-owned Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC), the C919, is designed to compete with the Boeing 737 and the Airbus A320. Company officials have stated that they intend to position the product as a competitor to the existing duopoly in the civilian aerospace market.
The narrow-body passenger jet is currently only approved for service within China but has been awaiting European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) certification since 2018. There are currently four in service with China Eastern Airlines.
COMAC spokespersons have suggested in the past that they are confident that the project could generate customer interest because of prevailing industry-wide supply disruptions.
IBA Aviation consultant, Mike Yeomans, affirmed this possibility telling Reuters, "With Airbus and Boeing narrowbodies in the A320neo and 737 MAX families sold out for most of this decade, the C919 has a strong opportunity to gain market share, particularly in its domestic market."
