China's Comac C919 Set To Make Global Debut At Singapore Airshow, Posing Threat To Boeing 737 And Airbus A320

China is set to display its Comac C919, a narrow-body passenger jet, at the Singapore Airshow. This marks the first time the aircraft will be showcased to a global audience.

What Happened: The Comac C919, developed by the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (Comac), is being positioned as a competitor to Boeing‘s 737 and the Airbus 320, reported CNBC. The aircraft was certified by the Civil Aviation Administration of China in September 2022.

“Flying for the first time at the Singapore Airshow, is the C919, a narrow-body airliner developed by Chinese aircraft manufacturer Comac,” said Singapore Airshow organizer and manager Experia Events.

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The air show, scheduled from Feb. 20 to 25, is expected to draw tens of thousands, including military delegations and aviation enthusiasts. Notable participants include Airbus, Boeing, Comac, and defense contractors such as Lockheed Martin, Dassault, SAAB, Leonardo, and Thales.

"We expect to see full recovery in 2024. Longer term, the outlook continues to be bright, especially the Asia Pacific region, which will account for about half of the expected global passenger traffic in 2024,” said Marie Owens Thomsen, IATA's senior vice president for sustainability and chief economist, according to the report.

Why It Matters: The Comac C919’s international debut at the Singapore Airshow is a significant development in China’s aviation industry. This follows China’s approval of Boeing’s 737 MAX and an invitation to Boeing to expand its presence in the Chinese market. This signals a potential shift in the global aviation landscape.

China’s aviation ambitions have been on the rise, with the country’s first domestically produced passenger airliner, the C919, making its maiden commercial flight in 2023. This development was accompanied by a surge in market interest in aviation stocks, with Cirrus Aircraft, a state-backed maker of smaller planes, aiming to become the first aircraft stock on the Hong Kong bourse.

Analysts have also been anticipating an aftermarket supercycle in the aviation industry, driven by depressed aircraft production and the resurgence of travel. The Comac C919’s international debut at the Singapore Airshow could be a key indicator of the industry’s recovery and China’s growing influence in the global aviation market.

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