Since its establishment in 2008, COMAC has aimed to fulfill China’s ambition to increase its global presence in the commercial aircraft industry, which has long been dominated by Boeing and Airbus.
The C919, seen as China’s answer to the Boeing 737 and Airbus A320, stands out as the company’s flagship product, followed by the regional aircraft ARJ21, which COMAC has rebranded this year to C909 as part of a strategy to standardize Chinese aircraft under a new digital classification system.
COMAC’s decision-makers recognize that the Middle East is a challenging environment for any new aircraft, as the region hosts some of the world’s leading airlines, including Emirates, Etihad Airways, and Qatar Airways, which operate extensive fleets of Boeing and Airbus planes.
To date, their aircraft have not received certification from the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) or the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in the United States, limiting their sales potential outside of China and certain countries with bilateral agreements with Beijing.
Nevertheless, the company is gradually moving forward in this regard, especially after announcing that over 130 C919 aircraft are in various stages of assembly or delivery, with confirmed orders from more than ten Chinese airlines.
The airshow takes place in one of the most technologically open and innovative cities, attracting considerable global media attention, making participation akin to an official launch of a new phase of Chinese ambition.