COMAC continues its development despite coronavirus
As the world continues to go through the coronavirus crisis in early 2020, aircraft manufacturer COMAC continues its development and testing for the certification of its C919. The Chinese aircraft manufacturer's ambitions seem to be intact and deliveries are continuing after the opening of a new production line.
 |
| A Comac C919 prototype. (Credits:Wikimedia) |
In parallel, China Southern's first ARJ21 made its first flight on June 9, 2020 from Shanghai Pudong airport. At the end of May 2020, the chief designer of the C919 and also a member of the Chinese Communist Party, Wu Guanghui, recalled that Comac had received 815 orders from 28 customers.
The 6 prototype aircraft have all been assembled and tests are continuing in Shanghai, Xi'an, Dongying and Nanchang, according to the China Internet Information Center. In March 2020, a second assembly line was opened in Shanghai. The development of Comac is strategic for China and aeronautics is one of the key points of the "Made in China 2025" industrial plan.
Serial difficulties
The coronavirus crisis may slow COMAC's expansion. Delays are piling up. The C919 that was scheduled to take off in 2014 finally made its first flight 3 years later in May 2017. Technical problems are at the root of the delays.For example, engineers discovered that nacelles and engines subjected to higher-than-expected forces required reinforcement. As a result, only 20% of the flight hours required for certification by the Chinese authorities have been completed to date.
Cracks in the horizontal stabilizers of the tail had to be corrected, and in 2018, Comac discovered that the aircraft's gearbox could crack under the effect of violent vibrations in flight.
The ARJ21, the launch aircraft
The first aircraft of the manufacturer COMAC is a regional aircraft, the ARJ21. Capable of transporting 90 people, the aircraft is mainly intended for the Chinese market. The airlines Chengdu Airlines, Tianjiao Airlines and Jiangxi Airlines already operate the aircraft on domestic routes.According to Airbus forecasts, Chinese airlines are expected to be the largest buyers of aircraft by 2035, with 6,000 new aircraft.
 |
| The first China Southern ARJ21 aircraft. (Credits: Jetphotos) |
China, the world's future largest aviation market
Great ambitions
The C919 is a medium-haul aircraft with a capacity of 168 passengers and a range of 5500km. It made its first flight on May 5, 2017. From a technical point of view, the C919 is equipped with CFM Leap-1 and includes many foreign parts. For example, Honeywell provides the APU, cockpit avionics, navigation and radio and landing gear.Air transport in Africa is expected to grow rapidly over the next few years. Many African airlines have shown interest in Comac aircraft, including Air Congo, Africa World Airlines and Ethiopian. The Ethiopian national airline is benefiting from the country's economic growth of more than 7% in 2019.
 |
| Comac offices in Shanghai, China (credits:weibo) |
Comac is part of the "G60 Science and Technology Innovation Corridor". It is a project for a vast industrial zone, which is to be extended in the Chinese provinces of Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Anhui and the city of Shanghai. A total of nine cities in these provinces are involved, including Songjiang, Jiaxing and Hangzhou. Comac's ambition is to compete with Boeing in Seattle and Airbus in Toulouse, where the European aircraft manufacturer is integrated into the Aerospace Valley.
A threat to Airbus and Boeing?
In the short term, the two historic aircraft manufacturers seem to largely dominate COMAC. Technical difficulties continue to slow down the Chinese aircraft manufacturer. The Chinese company will face a major challenge: it will have to guarantee the safety of its aircraft through a strict certification process (FAA and EASA) and win the confidence of airlines and the general public.The integration into the COMAC aircraft fleet raises the question of crew training, spare parts, equipment, etc.
In the long term, Comac could perhaps assert itself as a competitor capable of breaking the Airbus-Boeing duopoly. The development of air transport in China and Africa will be vectors of growth. Thus, the CR929, a future long-haul aircraft designed with the Russian consortium UAC, has entered the design phase and should eventually compete with Boeing's 787 and Airbus' A350.
Comac is therefore still far from threatening the market shares of Airbus and Boeing. Numerous technical problems continue to slow down the programme. However, the Chinese aircraft manufacturer's ambitions must remind the historical aircraft manufacturers that air transport in 10 or 15 years' time will be quite different.
Tweet
