O jato chinês para desafiar a Airbus e a Boeing

Chinese aircraft manufacturer Comac has taken its first international commercial flight, with the C919 narrow-body jet operated by Air China, from Beijing to Ulaanbaatar in Mongolia. This marks a significant step for China's aerospace industry, as it seeks to challenge the dominance of Airbus and Boeing in the commercial aviation market.

The C919, a two-engine narrow-body aircraft with a capacity of up to 174 passengers, has yet to receive certification from the world's two major aviation authorities, the FAA and EASA. However, this inaugural international flight signifies that Airbus and Boeing may face a threat to their duopoly in this market. Currently, the dominant narrow-body aircraft in the market are the Airbus A320 family and Boeing 737, which have a strong presence in China, where the Comac manufacturer has delayed approvals for Airbus deliveries and where the European authorities are slow to certify the new Comac jets.

The C919 also relies heavily on imported technology, meaning that China's self-sufficiency in this area may still be years away. Currently, the Comac C919 has delivered 32 aircraft in the past year, accounting for a third of the total aircraft delivered by Airbus to China in the same period. As a result of the Trump administration's tariff war, Beijing has reduced its imports of Boeing aircraft, with Chinese airlines now accounting for over 20% of the manufacturer's sales, down from nearly 5% earlier.

Chinese customers are also the largest buyers of Airbus aircraft, with an expectation of acquiring over 9,000 aircraft in the next two decades. Beijing controls China's three largest airlines, which together account for half of domestic capacity. This gives Comac a solid base of buyers. However, analyst Rob Morris told CNBC that "Comac's development and production pace is still too slow" to threaten the two leaders.

"Developing, manufacturing, and delivering the aircraft is not enough. The manufacturer needs to offer 24/7 support and maintenance throughout the year to ensure that the reliability of the C919 is on par with the A320 and 737 models, which are well-known and established," Morris explained. "This takes time." In the regional jet segment, currently dominated by Embraer, the Comac C909 is accelerating sales, driven by Chinese government incentives.

Since its commercial launch in June 2016, under the previous name ARJ21, 186 of these aircraft have been delivered, maintaining a 70% share in the regional aircraft fleet. Outside China, the E2 family is serving in Laos, Indonesia, and Vietnam, including international routes connecting these countries. The operating fleet of the E2 family totals 195 aircraft, with over 500 firm orders expected to be delivered in the coming years.