China’s first home-grown narrowbody passenger jet has passed a battery of “deep level” safety tests as part of a step that is expected to help the C919 find overseas markets as its rival Boeing wrestles with a list of mechanical woes.
China Eastern Airlines Technology, a subsidiary of the group that owns C919 operator China Eastern Airlines, concluded four days of “A-inspection” tests on Monday at a hangar in Shanghai, the Civil Aviation Administration said on Tuesday.
The aircraft is required to undergo safety checks after either every four months, 700 flight hours or 500 flight cycles – meaning the operation of an engine from take-off to landing – depending on which threshold is reached first.
A crew of more than 60 checked the aircraft – referred to as B-919A by China Eastern Airlines – and tested its engines, landing gear and all equipment in the cabin, according to the regulator.
The Chinese will offer a better price, and of course they will advertise their aircraft of similar quality as Boeing
“The Chinese aircraft builder has a chance to compete with Boeing,” said Alexander Vuving, a professor at the Daniel K. Inouye Asia-Pacific Centre for Security Studies in Hawaii.
“The Chinese will offer a better price, and of course they will advertise their aircraft of similar quality as Boeing and capitalise on all the scandals that Boeing has run through in the last couple of years.”
Chinese officials would also “be lobbying the powers that be” in developing countries to buy the aircraft, he added, with many governments in Africa, Latin America and Southeast Asia enjoying close commercial and economic ties with China.
The inspection of the C919, dubbed “4A” by the regulator, followed worries from overseas about safety during its development.
Key “integrated” components were probably tested to make sure they worked “under proper operational conditions”, said Hugh Ritchie, CEO of Aviation Analysts International in Australia.
Boeing’s inspections of its aircraft have been criticised for a lack of staffing and government oversight.
“If you rush through, as Boeing has, you sacrifice a lot of the quality and safety,” Ritchie said.
The C919 was designed to compete with the Boeing 737 and Airbus A320 families of aircraft.
How China’s C919 reflects aim to skirt US restrictions, elevate supply chains
How China’s C919 reflects aim to skirt US restrictions, elevate supply chains
And on Tuesday, China Southern Airlines said it would receive its first C919 in August as part of its own 100-plane order.
Comac has said it has received over 1,000 orders for the C919, but as it lacks certification to fly outside China, they are all from domestic carriers.
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China’s C919: first home-grown airliner makes international debut
China’s C919: first home-grown airliner makes international debut
Boeing, which makes up half of a US-European civilian aircraft duopoly with Airbus, is contending with a chain of safety scandals.
The issues began with two deadly crashes of its popular 737 Max in 2018 and 2019 followed by a “door plug” failure on board an Alaska Airlines flight in January.
The US aviation regulator has blocked Boeing from expanding production of the narrowbody 737 Max.
European multinational aerospace firm Airbus is not beset with the same safety issues, but the airline has postponed some aircraft deliveries to as late as 2025 because of supply-chain problems.
