China’s homegrown C919 aircraft makes first international debut at Singapore Airshow

China's domestically manufactured C919 passenger aircraft has arrived at Singapore Changi International Airport on February 17, 2024, days ahead of the coming Singapore Airshow. Photo: Courtesy of China Eastern

Two Chinese manufactured C919 planes and three ARJ21 aircraft made their official debut at the Singapore Airshow on Tuesday, China Media Group reported.

During the event, the planes will perform flight demonstrations, conduct in-hall model exhibitions and outdoor displays, through which China is about to present to the public the phased results its commercial aircraft project has achieved, said the report.

China’s homegrown passenger jets have become one of the highlights at the event since it is the first time China flies its homegrown plane before international aviation enthusiasts overseas.

Expert said that the display of the C919 at the Singapore air show will allow more international customers to increase their confidence in Made-in-China aircraft.

Meanwhile, some western media and market analysts also said the C919’s debut at Asia's biggest air show as “one of the most anticipated features at this year’s event.”

“This year’s Singapore airshow could be significant as it can be seen as ‘a symbol of Asia’s recovery,’” said Brendan Sobie, aviation industry analyst at Sobie Aviation, an independent consulting firm in Singapore who was quoted by CNBC in a recent report.

The six-day event has attracted aerobatic teams from India, Australia, Indonesia and South Korea, and it will be attended by over 1,000 participating companies, and is expected to attract 50,000 attendees from over 50 countries and regions.

Notably, the organizer of Singapore Airshow said it has set up a country pavilion for Chinese aerospace enterprises for the first time, according to Xinhua News Agency.

This year will be critical for the producer of the C919 plane to accelerate mass production and deliveries, and exploring overseas market and promoting the plane to more international airlines is a test for the C919 manufacturer, Qi Qi, an independent market watcher, told the Global Times in a recent interview.

The C919 is built by the state-owned Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC) and the plane has been making commercial flights in China since May 2023, and was displayed for the first time outside the Chinese mainland in Hong Kong in December.

So far, four C919 aircraft have been delivered to Chinese airliners, and more than 110,000 passengers have been safely transported.

Thanks to government policy support, China’s domestically built aircraft are on the fast track of production to grab market share. During the 2024 National Civil Aviation Work Conference held in January, China's aviation regulator pledged it will seek to work with its European counterpart to promote the aircraft to go abroad.

Meanwhile, Zhang Yujin, a deputy general manager of COMAC said the company plans to invest tens of billions of yuan to increase the production capacity for C919 and achieve stable growth in the coming three to five years, according to the paper.cn.

The aircraft, adopting advanced aerodynamic design, propulsion system and advanced materials, with lower carbon emissions and higher fuel efficiency, is expected to attract more global buyers at the Singapore Airshow.