Comac's plan for the C929 widebody regional aircraft will intensify rivalry with Boeing and Airbus
Source: South China Morning Post
Agence France-Presse in ShanghaI
PUBLISHED : Saturday, 08 November, 2014, 5:06am
UPDATED : Tuesday, 11 November, 2014, 12:00pm
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| The C919 currently under development by Comac is a narrow-body version. The firm is now seeking suppliers to develop a widebody passenger plane. Photo: Xinhua |
China
is seeking suppliers to develop its own widebody passenger plane over
the next decade, industry executives said, expanding its ambitions and
rivalry with Boeing and Airbus.
The proposed aircraft, tentatively called the C929, would be state-backed Commercial Aircraft Corp of China's (Comac) largest, according to suppliers that have held talks with the firm.
It would be a substantial advance on the smaller 158 to 168-seat narrow-body C919 it is currently developing and the 78 to 90-seat ARJ21 regional jet, which is undergoing test flights.
The goal is for the C929, which could carry several hundred passengers at a time on journeys across Asia, to take flight after 2020, possibly in 2023.
Comac's ambitions will be on parade at China's premier air show, which will open on Tuesday in Zhuhai, with a huge stand highlighting the C919 and a flying display by a prototype ARJ21.
The technological challenges for China to build its own passenger plane are formidable, with some comparing them to the difficulty of sending a mission to the moon.
But the government considers developing a passenger aircraft industry a national priority that would vault it into an elite club of just a handful of nations.
At the same time Russia has drawn closer to its ally China in the face of Western sanctions over Ukraine and following two years of discussions, the two countries signed an agreement in May to develop what Chinese state media call the "big plane".
Comac's strategic partner for the C929 is Russia's United Aircraft Corp, created in 2006 when Moscow combined the assets of the country's largest state-owned aircraft manufacturers, which have decades of experience.
"Russia and China have been working together, figuring out things. Now they're ready to start talking and getting ideas from suppliers," said Briand Greer, president of aerospace for Asia-Pacific for US firm Honeywell, which already provides components and systems for both the C919 and the ARJ21.
Comac was floating ideas about the design of the plane before making formal information requests to prepare a tendering process, sources said.
One possibility for the widebody, which has two passenger aisles, was a plane capable of flying within Asia for journeys of up to about five hours, industry officials said.
Such a concept would compete with the planned regional version of the Airbus A330, they said, which will enter service early next year. Planes in the A330 family hold 200 to 400 passengers.
Boeing's widebody offerings include its 767 and 787.
The proposed aircraft, tentatively called the C929, would be state-backed Commercial Aircraft Corp of China's (Comac) largest, according to suppliers that have held talks with the firm.
It would be a substantial advance on the smaller 158 to 168-seat narrow-body C919 it is currently developing and the 78 to 90-seat ARJ21 regional jet, which is undergoing test flights.
The goal is for the C929, which could carry several hundred passengers at a time on journeys across Asia, to take flight after 2020, possibly in 2023.
Comac's ambitions will be on parade at China's premier air show, which will open on Tuesday in Zhuhai, with a huge stand highlighting the C919 and a flying display by a prototype ARJ21.
The technological challenges for China to build its own passenger plane are formidable, with some comparing them to the difficulty of sending a mission to the moon.
But the government considers developing a passenger aircraft industry a national priority that would vault it into an elite club of just a handful of nations.
At the same time Russia has drawn closer to its ally China in the face of Western sanctions over Ukraine and following two years of discussions, the two countries signed an agreement in May to develop what Chinese state media call the "big plane".
Comac's strategic partner for the C929 is Russia's United Aircraft Corp, created in 2006 when Moscow combined the assets of the country's largest state-owned aircraft manufacturers, which have decades of experience.
"Russia and China have been working together, figuring out things. Now they're ready to start talking and getting ideas from suppliers," said Briand Greer, president of aerospace for Asia-Pacific for US firm Honeywell, which already provides components and systems for both the C919 and the ARJ21.
Comac was floating ideas about the design of the plane before making formal information requests to prepare a tendering process, sources said.
One possibility for the widebody, which has two passenger aisles, was a plane capable of flying within Asia for journeys of up to about five hours, industry officials said.
Such a concept would compete with the planned regional version of the Airbus A330, they said, which will enter service early next year. Planes in the A330 family hold 200 to 400 passengers.
Boeing's widebody offerings include its 767 and 787.
This article appeared in the South China Morning Post print edition as China looks to develop big passenger plane
Source: South China Morning Post
