China’s homegrown passenger jet makes international debut

Beijing’s C919 airliner, a potential rival to Western-made Boeing and Airbus planes, made its first foray outside Chinese territory on Sunday by staging a flyby at the Singapore Airshow.

Beijing’s C919 airliner, a potential rival to Western-made Boeing and Airbus planes, made its first foray outside Chinese territory on Sunday by staging a flyby at the Singapore Airshow. The single-aisle jet, manufactured by the state-owned Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (Comac), is a prominent symbol of Beijing’s broader “Made in China” strategy, which aims to reduce reliance on foreign manufacturers. China calls the C919, which can carry just under 200 passengers, its first large homegrown passenger jet. The aircraft took to the skies for its first commercial flight last May. It s certified to carry passengers only within mainland China and flies with China Eastern Airlines. This is “the first time we will be having exhibitors from China,” Cindy Koh, executive vice-president of Singapore’s Economic Development Board, one of the airshow’s organizers, told reporters Sunday. China has made no secret of its ambition to eventually compete against Boeing (BA) and Airbus (ABNB). The C919’s overseas debut comes at a time when Boeing is making headlines for all the wrong reasons. Last month, part of the fuselage of a 737 Max 9 Boeing plane fell off during an Air Alaska flight in the United States. Shukor Yusof, founder of Endau Analytics, a firm that tracks the aviation industry, said the C919 would be “the most scrutinized aircraft at the Singapore Airshow,” an event that draws company executives and high-ranking government officials from around the world.