Strategic Implications of China's C919 Commercial Jet
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2010 was an encouraging year for China's aircraft industry. The Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (Comac) carried out a series of test flights of its regional jet, the ARJ21, and received the first orders for its new large scale jet, the C919. Some pundits said these developments reflect China's determination to break the duopoly of Boeing and Airbus.
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A model of the China-made C919 passenger airliner is seen at the 8th China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition in Zhuhai, South China's Guangdong province, Nov 15, 2010. The model, which comprises the cockpit and the front part of the passenger cabin, is the same size as an actual C919 plane -- 17 meters long, 5.6 meters high and 3.96 meters wide. [Xinhua] |
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Economy class seats are seen inside a model of the China-made C919 passenger airliner at the 8th China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition in Zhuhai, South China's Guangdong province, Nov 15, 2010. [Xinhua] |
But breaking the duopoly is not China's strategic goal, at least not in the short term. China knows its manufacturing capacity is not yet developed enough to produce entirely indigenous large scale commercial aircraft. Comac and China Aviation Industry Corporation I (AVIC) are actively sourcing from both domestic and foreign companies. It would be more accurate to say that China is using the expansion of its aircraft manufacturing industry to build up its industrial scale and research & development capacity to meet a broader range of economic needs.
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