China’s Entry into the Global Passenger Aircraft Market, Challenging Boeing and Airbus

China has thrown down the gauntlet in the global passenger aircraft market, which American Boeing and European Airbus currently dominate. With two types of medium and small passenger aircraft at the forefront, China is expanding its exports and increasing its presence, including participating in the air show held in Singapore. The number of orders received domestically alone amounts to a staggering 1,061 units.

According to Xinhua News Agency and the Global Times on the 20th, “China’s first domestically produced medium-sized passenger aircraft, the C919, has garnered attention by debuting at the international air show,” and “it is participating in the air show held at Singapore’s Changi International Airport.”

The C919 was developed by the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China, “COMAC.” The research began in 2006, and in September 2022, it received flight certification (aircraft’s safe flight performance certification), the final procedure for commercial flight, from Chinese aviation authorities. Since then, it has begun to export to countries like Brunei and Indonesia.

This model is a medium-sized passenger aircraft with a single aisle. It measures 127.6 feet in length, with a width and height of 117.5 feet and 39.2 feet, respectively.

The seating capacity can vary from 164 to 198 seats, depending on the size. It features three rows of seats on each side of the aisle, and the unit price is around 100 million dollars.

After receiving flight certification in 2022, Brunei’s GallopAir ordered 15 units. They also ordered 15 units of the ARJ-21, a passenger aircraft smaller than the C919. According to the Global Times, the purchase price of 30 aircraft amounts to 2 billion dollars. In addition, Indonesia’s Transnusa Airlines purchased two ARJ-21s.

Although they currently possess only one model each in the medium and small aircraft types, they are predicted to quickly secure a market share in the medium and small passenger aircraft with their substantial financial power and production capacity, comparable to Airbus and Boeing. This is thanks to the rapidly increasing demand for aviation in China.

COMAC announced through Xinhua News Agency that “so far, the total number of C919s ordered in China amounts to 1,061 units.”