Comac continues to showcase China’s ambitions to break the Airbus/Boeing duopoly in global skies. After the C919, the first single-aisle short and medium-haul aircraft designed and manufactured by the Middle Kingdom that aims directly at the very popular A320 and 737 MAX, the manufacturer has been working for several years on the development of the C939 that will take over the A350. or 777X, a long-haul aircraft. And the work progresses.
The “C929 has entered the detailed design phase,” said Qi Xuefeng, vice president of China Commercial Aircraft Corporation (Comac) at a transportation conference in Beijing on Friday, November 3.
In a press release published on the China Internet Information Center site, it is known that “the C929 is the first intercontinental jet aircraft produced in China and will have a capacity of 250 to 350 seats and a range of 12,000 kilometers.
And remember that “Wu Guanghui, chief designer of the C919, stated that the C929’s carbon emissions would be reduced by 60% compared to older models.”
Russia is no longer part of the project
However, it appears that the initial project, a device jointly developed with Russia, is buried.
In 2017, Comac signed a partnership with the Russian United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) in this regard. A model was even displayed at the Le Bourget air show. But global sanctions against the Russian industrial apparatus after the invasion of Ukraine would have encouraged China to act on its own. Comac does not offer a timetable for the continuation of the C929 project, which will still require years of work.
However, the threat from the state industrialist is increasingly stronger against Airbus and Boeing with the medium-range C919. Although its playing field is still limited, outside of China and some countries, the C919 is not authorized in Europe or the United States, but it continues its rise in power by taking advantage of the generous orders from local companies.
Last September, China Eastern Airlines announced an order for 100 aircraft, making the plane a thorn in the side of Airbus and Boeing in their conquest of Chinese skies, where they share 98% of the market.
China has become a strategic market for aircraft manufacturers and companies are moving from very large orders. The country currently represents 20% of global air traffic, a figure that is growing more than 5% per year.
Source: BFM TV
