Will ‘Made in China’ Threaten Boeing and Airbus?: QuickTake Q&A
China's New Passenger Jet Takes Off in Shanghai
November 2015 was a big month for Chinese aviation. That was when the state plane manufacturer known as Comac delivered its first passenger aircraft, a 90-seat jet called the ARJ21. May 2017 may prove bigger still, after Comac completed its first test flight of a larger plane, the C919. The new jet aims to take on Boeing Co. and Airbus SE. in an industry segment that’s forecast to generate sales in China alone of more than half a trillion dollars over the next 20 years.
The C919 will seat 158 to 174 people, six abreast, and is intended to compete with the Boeing 737 and Airbus A320 families of planes in the so-called single-aisle market. Comac describes its venture as “the flower of modern industry.” The C919 made its maiden test flight on May 5, an 80-minute trip out of Shanghai’s Pudong International Airport.