Chinese Competitor to Boeing and Airbus?

Chinese Competitor to Boeing and Airbus?

I do see that the Comac C919 could eventually receive FAA certification. However, it will take time. China has had struggles in the past receiving certification in the past. "The problem emerged in 2011 and is still unresolved. Delays in Comac's earlier program, the ARJ21 regional jet, are holding up FAA recognition of the certification competence of the Civil Aviation Administration of China. That casts doubt on the FAA's eventual acceptance of the CAAC's current work on C919 and therefore the Chinese type certificate. Without Western airworthiness endorsement, the C919 cannot be sold in main commercial aircraft markets outside of China." (Perrett, 2013)

The main issue, as of right now, is the way the CAAC and the FAA certify their aircraft. It almost seems the FAA has seen airworthiness issue of Chinese aircraft in the past. "In China, certifying products has been a learning curve, not only for the CAAC as it adds staff but also for the manufacturers attempting to win their first validations." (Lynch, 2013) China has sent many applications for aircraft in the past. Every one of these has not been able to become certified in the United States. Until the CAAC is up to par on certification standards with the FAA, Chinese aircraft will most likely continue to have their certificates delayed in the US.

I believe once Chinese aircraft finally become certified by the FAA, the C919 will be a favorite for low budget regional airlines. Comac will have to do something in order to set their product apart from Boeing and Airbus. What I believe the difference would be is pricing. Chinese products have been known for being cheaper than their American counterparts. With that in mind, many regional airlines may invest in the C919 to help cut down costs even more. The public may have a different take on a Chinese aircraft flying in the United States. The general public gets stressed enough already when they hear about aviation accidents. I think that this problem will only get worse with airlines flying new aircraft that were just recently certified. At the same time, most passengers on aircraft probably don't even know what type of aircraft they are flying on. It's hard to assume what the public will think about the C919 until it actually receives FAA certification.

The Commercial Aircraft Corporation on China (Comac), is state owned. Comac is also government subsidized. This means that the company receives funding from the Chinese government. The C919 is not the only aircraft in the works right now. The ARJ21 in another aircraft being manufactured and this is much farther along than the C919. "the second ARJ21 aircraft (Registration No.: B-3322) delivered to Chengdu Airlines flew from Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport and Shanghai Hongqiao Airport with 63 passengers to conduct the first commercial flight at 9:45 am on October 13th, 2016. The aircraft landed at Shanghai Hongqiao Airport successfully at 11:59 am." (Comac, 2016) I think that this flight ultimately helps pleads China's case that it can make an economical and safe aircraft.

Once Comac's aircraft do become certified, I think it would be very hard for it to set itself apart from competitors. Airbus and Boeing have both been in the business for a very long time. Jumping into an industry with two very established and well known companies may be tough on Comac. The aircraft is already heavier then their counterparts and the engines work at about the same caliber. "The C919’s total weight wasn’t planned to be lighter than comparable Boeing's or Airbuses', and Aviation Week says the first assembled plane is heavier than forecast. The efficiency of the engines, produced by a GE  joint venture with France’s Safran called CFM, was not forecast to be better than the competition either. (Cendrowski, 2016) With all of this into consideration, I don't feel that airlines will be rushing to buy the C919. The best chance Comac has at making a profit, would be to sell their aircraft elsewhere. They should try and boost their reputation before trying to enter the US market. That way, the company would have a greater track record, and can be shown to compete with Boeing and Airbus.

References

Cendrowski, S. (2016, February 16). China’s Answer To Boeing Loses Shine. Retrieved from http://fortune.com/2016/02/16/china-comac-c919-delay-delivery/

Perrett, B. (2013, December 16). C919 May Be Largely Limited To Chinese Market | AWIN ... Retrieved from http://aviationweek.com/awin/c919-may-be-largely-limited-chinese-market

The second China-made ARJ21 aircraft completes the first ... (n.d.). Retrieved from http://english.comac.cc/news/latest/201610/18/t20161018_4392030.shtml

Lynch, K. (2015, March 14). Certification Crunch in China. Retrieved from http://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/business-aviation/2015-03-14/certification-crunch-china