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A Chinese government owned company wants to break into the commercial airliner business and promises to undercut prices of western airliners produced by Boeing and Airbus. This promises to be the biggest shake up of the aircraft business since Boeing bought MacDonald Douglas in the mid 90's.
Chinese planes challenge Boeing and Airbus
By Juliana Liu
Asia Business Report, BBC World, Singapore air show
The biggest potential threat to the dominance of Western aircraft makers has been unveiled at the Singapore Air Show.
China's answer to Boeing and Airbus is showing a slender, blue-and-white model of the Comac C919 aircraft for the first time outside the mainland. Its introduction was low-key, a move consistent with how Chinese firms prefer to operate overseas.
The aircraft, designed and built entirely in China, will compete directly against industry stalwarts A320 and Boeing 737 after completing flight trials in four years. It should be available commercially by 2016.
"That's our plan," an official from the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China, or Comac, tells BBC News.
"But it will be tough to stick to it. These days, delivery dates are often pushed back."
Next year delivery
The C919 is part of China's stated goal of developing a homegrown aerospace industry, which may someday challenge Airbus and Boeing's hold on the global market for commercial aviation.
“ [Chinese aircraft makers] will add a whole new level of economic activity to our industry ”
Mark Howes, president of Honeywell Aerospace Asia Pacific
Comac is likely to build more than 2,000 C919s in the next two decades, with a view to grab a 10% share of the global market for narrow body aircraft.
It has been a meteoric rise for Comac, established just a year and a half ago.
Headquartered in Shanghai, the company is fully backed by the central government, as well as by the local government and a number of state-owned firms such as Chinalco and Baosteel.
Comac has already sold more than 240 of its ARJ-21 twin-engine regional jets to Chinese airlines, as well as to a Laotian carrier and to a unit of General Electric. The plane is scheduled for delivery to customers next year.
Biggest market
Experts believe it will take China 10 to 20 years to establish itself in commercial aviation.
That prospect has attracted scores of Western suppliers such as Rockwell Collins, General Electric and Honeywell.
"There is a great deal of excitement in the region," Mark Howes, president of Honeywell Aerospace Asia Pacific, tells the BBC in an interview at the air show. "We're all negotiating and pursuing these deals."
Honeywell is hoping to sell its mechanical and electronic systems for inclusion in the C919.
The US manufacturer has already clinched contracts for its flight controls and inertial navigation systems for use in the ARJ-21.
"They will add a whole new level of economic activity to our industry," Mr Howes adds.
Chinese customers
One day, China will be Honeywell's biggest market in Asia, Mr Howes says.
By Juliana Liu
Asia Business Report, BBC World, Singapore air show
The biggest potential threat to the dominance of Western aircraft makers has been unveiled at the Singapore Air Show.
China's answer to Boeing and Airbus is showing a slender, blue-and-white model of the Comac C919 aircraft for the first time outside the mainland. Its introduction was low-key, a move consistent with how Chinese firms prefer to operate overseas.
The aircraft, designed and built entirely in China, will compete directly against industry stalwarts A320 and Boeing 737 after completing flight trials in four years. It should be available commercially by 2016.
"That's our plan," an official from the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China, or Comac, tells BBC News.
"But it will be tough to stick to it. These days, delivery dates are often pushed back."
Next year delivery
The C919 is part of China's stated goal of developing a homegrown aerospace industry, which may someday challenge Airbus and Boeing's hold on the global market for commercial aviation.
“ [Chinese aircraft makers] will add a whole new level of economic activity to our industry ”
Mark Howes, president of Honeywell Aerospace Asia Pacific
Comac is likely to build more than 2,000 C919s in the next two decades, with a view to grab a 10% share of the global market for narrow body aircraft.
It has been a meteoric rise for Comac, established just a year and a half ago.
Headquartered in Shanghai, the company is fully backed by the central government, as well as by the local government and a number of state-owned firms such as Chinalco and Baosteel.
Comac has already sold more than 240 of its ARJ-21 twin-engine regional jets to Chinese airlines, as well as to a Laotian carrier and to a unit of General Electric. The plane is scheduled for delivery to customers next year.
Biggest market
Experts believe it will take China 10 to 20 years to establish itself in commercial aviation.
That prospect has attracted scores of Western suppliers such as Rockwell Collins, General Electric and Honeywell.
"There is a great deal of excitement in the region," Mark Howes, president of Honeywell Aerospace Asia Pacific, tells the BBC in an interview at the air show. "We're all negotiating and pursuing these deals."
Honeywell is hoping to sell its mechanical and electronic systems for inclusion in the C919.
The US manufacturer has already clinched contracts for its flight controls and inertial navigation systems for use in the ARJ-21.
"They will add a whole new level of economic activity to our industry," Mr Howes adds.
Chinese customers
One day, China will be Honeywell's biggest market in Asia, Mr Howes says.
That's what they do in other markets.
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