HONG KONG - The Chinese manufacturer Comac took its C919 medium-range jet outside of mainland China for the first time on Wednesday, showing off the single-aisle passenger aircraft to potential airline customers in Hong Kong.
Commercial Aircraft Corp of China Ltd, as Comac is officially known, intends for the 168-seat aircraft to eventually rival Boeing and Airbus narrow-body planes. While only three C919s are operating commercially, the company says it has received 1,061 orders from more than 30 Chinese carriers and lessors.
The C919 will stay in Hong Kong until Sunday as part of Comac’s attempts to showcase the model to a wider international audience. The promotion will include a flyby over Victoria Harbour at 10.30am on Saturday.
To mark the aircraft’s arrival, Hong Kong International Airport hosted a ceremony attended by government officials including Chief Executive John Lee. They were joined by top executives of Cathay Pacific Airways and Greater Bay Airlines.
“We will be very interested in any aircraft type that come into the market,” Greater Bay Airlines CEO Stanley Hui told Bloomberg News on the sidelines of Wednesday’s event.
“You have to select aircraft as per your strategy — short-, medium-, long-haul, so we’ll be looking at all of these before deciding.”
Comac secured a $9.9-billion deal from China Eastern Airlines Corp. for 100 C919s in September, in addition to five already ordered. The latest delivery to the Shanghai-based carrier took place on Dec 9, exactly a year after the first.
“The ambition is to have this aircraft be a global competitor to the Boeing and Airbus narrow-body aircraft,” said David Yu, chairman of Asia Aviation Valuation Advisors.
“It’s definitely going to take some time,” Yu said, noting that Airbus took many years to catch up to Boeing. A priority for Comac is getting the C919 certified by US and European regulators, he said.
The C919 project started in 2007, but it was not until May this year that it made its first commercial flight. Since then, it has flown for no more than five hours a day between Shanghai and Chengdu, FlightRadar24 data show.
“The operation of C919 aircraft remains excellent and mass production of the aircraft is progressing steadily,” Comac said in a statement on Wednesday.
Production rates for the jet, which has a price tag of $99 million, are expected to accelerate, with a target to make 150 annually, state media have reported.
One of Comac’s smaller ARJ-21 regional jets also arrived in Hong Kong with the C919. Both were greeted with a water salute from fire engines at the airport.
“This will certainly be a good opportunity for Comac to showcase its aircraft to the world,” said Joanna Lu, head of Asia Consultancy at Cirium Ascend.
Still, both the C919 and the ARJ-21 are “marginal competitors” that will sell mostly in China, she added.
While the C919 is made in China, it relies on parts from a range of foreign suppliers, including Liebherr-Holding Gmbh, CFM International and Honeywell International.