An Inconspicuous Event of Great Significance

The C919, China’s first domestically-produced long-haul passenger jet, is now in regular commercial service.

It is the first domestically-produced commercial jet produced by the state-owned Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC). Boeing and Airbus make almost all the world’s commercial aircraft. Now China wants to get in on the fun and break the duopoly in the global market.

After 15 years of development and delays, the twin-engine C919 jet regularly carries passengers on domestic flights in China. The plane has 158 seats, all equipped in a new style. The seats have holders for smartphones and tablets, sockets for charging them and connecting to the internal network. There are individual climate control devices.

Food on short flights is placed in special bags directly in the seat pockets so that nothing distracts. The first reviews from passengers are complimentary.

COMAC hopes to gain experience and reputation within the country, and then enter the markets of the Greater South. Or maybe even head north – to Russia.

With a flight range of up to 5,555 kilometers, the C919 will become a direct competitor to the narrow-body Boeing 737 and Airbus 320 and may gradually displace them. Formally, possible deliveries of the C919 to Russia fall under sanctions due to Western-made components. But who knows what will happen next?

The Russian MC-21 and the C919 are not competitors, they can get along quite well. But the MC-21 is at least 2 years behind its Chinese counterpart in its path to the market.