Comac C-919
This is a narrow-body aircraft made by state aircraft company Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China. it was made by the Chinese government to rival top plane manufacturers Boeing and Airbus. The first C919 rolled off the plants in 2015 and it was not until 2017 that it made its inaugural flight. It was originally planned to enter the market in 2016 but this was not to be. Years of technical problems and supplier issues have kept on dogging this aircraft.
It was impacted by the Trump administration in 2020 when restrictions were ordered on certain spares. Up to 60% of C919 spares are supplied by US companies. It failed to get certification from the China civil aviation authority in 2021. Despite these challenges which were increased by the COVID-19 pandemic, It got certification in May 2022 and was delivered to Chinese Eastern airlines this same year. The C-919 is going for $99million.This price is almost double the industry estimate. This is another aircraft debuting in 2022.
Not many aircraft are debuting in 2022. This can be attributed to the COVID-19 pandemic. whose effects have not yet been cleared entirely. The movement in the direction of new aircraft being introduced to the market is a good pointer to a recovering industry. Any movement in this direction can only point to a rosier picture in the future.
