AVIATION
Chinas Konkurrent zu Boeing und Airbus nähert sich kommerziellen Flugbetrieb
July 13, 2021 -
Nach mehr als einer Dekade für Entwicklung und $72 Milliarden staatlicher Unterstützung, wird Chinas erster Passagierjet, der single-aisle Comac C919, die Zulassung für kommerzielle Flüge erhalten.
Spun out of China’s military aviation industry in 2008, Comac has announced close to 1,000 orders and options for the plane, mainly from domestic customers. The first delivery, to China Eastern Airlines, is due to take place by the end of this year, according to the Financial Times.
The C919 is no match in fuel efficiency or range for the newest versions of the Airbus A320 or Boeing’s 737 family. But the big worry for the western groups is that future iterations could make a large dent in orders from China.
The country is on course to become the world’s largest aviation market. Boeing predicts the country’s airlines will acquire a total of 8,600 new planes over the next 20 years alone, FT said.