APD | China's C919 Expected to Break Monopoly of Boeing and Airbus

By APD writer Airen

For decades, two Western giants - Airbus and Boeing - have dominated the skies and cornered the global aircraft manufacturing market, but China is seeking to change that as its homegrown large passenger jet, the C919, moves closer to mass production.

C919 is China's first self-developed jet liner with independent intellectual property rights in accordance with internationally accepted airworthiness standards.

While there still a long way for C919 to achieve a commercial success, analysts believe it has the potential to squeeze Boeing out of the huge Chinese market and pose a threat to the US economy. If the C919 breaks the monopoly of Airbus and Boeing, the U.S. economy could lose as much as $1.5 trillion over the next 20 years.

Demand for aircraft has risen after China relaxed its pandemic control and entry restrictions. A market report predicts that over the next 20 years, global passenger aircraft deliveries will exceed 40000, worth $6.4 trillion, of which China will be the largest market for new aircraft deliveries, and China's aviation market will receive 9284 jetliners.

"Do you remember Alcatel, Marconi and Nortel Networks? These companies no longer exist. They're already dead. Now Airbus and Boeing are on the death list," Matthew Pottinger, a former deputy national security adviser in the Trump administration, warned.

In addition to economic factors, the C919 is also a source of Chinese national pride. For more than a decade, the development of a large, low-cost domestic airliner has been a top goal for China. Ouyang Jiang, editor-in-chief of The Air Current magazine, said: "Aerospace is part of national competition. It ultimately represents a desire for self-reliance, modernization and engagement with the world."

Not surprisingly, like Huawei and other Chinese tech giants, the C919 has made the United States angry. "It really looks like a knockoff," Pottinger said of the C919. To him and other former and current American security officials, the C919 is resemble to the Airbus A-320 and Boeing 737.

But despite the U.S. criticism, Ryanair CEO Michael O 'Leary believes that if the C919 cuts orders from Airbus and Boeing, it's good for Western airlines because It would be good for all airlines to have the third manufacturer.

Tony Webb, chief executive of Australia's Aviation Intelligence and Research Centre, agreed that if the C919 "is cost-effective enough and has the right configuration, it could generate some interest".

(ASIA PACIFIC DAILY)