China Delivers First Domestically Produced Passenger Jet in Bid to Challenge Boeing-Airbus Duopoly

The developer - Commercial Aircraft Corp of China (Comac) – worked for 14 years on the project. However, Comac has yet to find buyers overseas.

China Eastern Airlines became the first to receive Chinese-made C919 passenger plane on Friday, December 9. The plane was transferred to China Eastern at Pudong International Airport in Shanghai. Then it made a brief flight to the city’s Hongqiao Airport.

The plane, which is set to start commercial flights next spring, is considered to be a direct competitor of the Airbus 320neo series and the Boeing 737 Max family. The price of the C919 is $99 mln and it is designed to carry 158 to 192 passengers. Costs aren’t disclosed for the peer Airbus 320neo series and the Boeing 737 Max. However, according to economists' estimates, their price ranges between $111 million and $122 million.

Despite the fact that Chinese jet is cheaper than its Western peers, the prospects of the C919 are not crystal clear. Experts point out that the market need to get used to the idea of Chinese commercial jets, and only then will Comac be able to contend with Boeing and Airbus, which produce the vast majority of the world's passenger aircraft.

For instance, Airbus last summer received a $37 bln order from China. Boeing planes are also quiet popular in China, despite the fact that the 737 Max is temporally out of game due to safety concerns caused by series of crashes. China's four flag airline companies have about 2,200 Airbus and Boeing planes at their disposal. China Eastern itself possesses a fleet of 750 planes, including roughly 360 A320s and 290 Boeing 737s.

The C919 that was transferred to China Eastern Airlines has 164 seats in two cabins. Eight of them are in business class and the rest are in economy class. It offers 20 drop-down screens to play videos. Its maximum range is 3,450 miles. Currently the C919 heavily relies on Western components, including engines and flight control systems. Its key suppliers are General Electric, Safran and Honeywell International.