For decades, the commercial aviation market has been dominated by two major airlines: Boeing and Airbus. China wants to change the game. Its state-owned aircraft manufacturer, Comac, designed the C919 jet to compete directly with the aviation world’s workhorses, the Boeing 737 and Airbus A320 series. The C919 successfully entered service with China Eastern Airlines in 2023. and so far they have already received hundreds of orders, most of which came from Chinese airlines.
Even so, the C919 still has a long way to go before it can really hold its own with these giants of the aviation world. Outside of China, it does not yet have permission to fly in the US or Europe. Those approvals may take several more years. Also, while Comac has proven its ability to build a fully functional aircraft, producing hundreds of them in a short amount of time is a whole different ball game. Boeing and Airbus have decades-long supply chains, global service networks and solid reputations among airlines. Comac hasn’t even come close to that level of production yet.
There is some hope, though. With Boeing mired in production problems and Airbus’ narrow-body jets sold out for a decade, Comac could enter the market — if it can ramp up production to meet current industry needs.
Read more: 10 Legendary Land Yachts Not Built by Cadillac
China calls the C919 its first home-built large passenger plane, although that may not be entirely true. The plane is mostly made up of parts sourced from the West and is rumored to have been built using possibly stolen American expertise.
GE and Safran supply the plane’s engines, Honeywell the avionics and landing gear, and Parker Aerospace the flight controls. Replacing these components is not easy, as aviation certification makes it slow and expensive to change suppliers.
But this dependence on the West presents both danger and opportunity. U.S. export controls or tariffs would hamper production, though it might just encourage China to build its aerospace supply chain more quickly. It has done this in other industries as well, using government subsidies and long-term planning to catch up.
Beijing has invested billions of dollars in Comac to make the C919 a success, including selling the planes to domestic carriers at a lower cost. This strategy lays the groundwork for a future where China does not need Boeing and Airbus to maintain its airlines.