History of flight started when Wright Brothers flew their crude flyer on the 17th of December, 1903. With a long and rich history of more than a hundred years, aviation has had a central place in our lives, revolutionizing many aspects of it from transportation to warfare.
When it comes to large commercial aircraft production, Boeing and Airbus have dominated the global market for decades. However, China’s rapidly expanding aviation sector is creating opportunities for domestic aircraft manufacturers to play a greater role. China is currently the world’s second-largest passenger aviation market after the United States and remains one of the most important markets for future aviation growth. This enormous domestic market provides Chinese manufacturers such as COMAC with a strong foundation for expanding aircraft production and developing new commercial aircraft programs.
According to analysts, Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC), a state owned aerospace manifacturing company from China can challange the duopoly of today’s aircraft manifacturing industry in the future. Since we might start hearing more about COMAC soon, let’s learn more about the company’s history and most popular aircraft types produced by COMAC.
History of COMAC, Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China, Ltd.
COMAC was established in Shanghai on May 11, 2008, as a state-owned commercial aircraft manufacturer. The company was created with the objective of developing China’s capabilities in the design, manufacturing and integration of large commercial aircraft and has since become a central part of the country’s civil aviation manufacturing industry.
Its first aircraft Comac ARJ21 Xiangfeng made its first flight on the 28th of November 2008 and sent a very important message to the world; that China can manifacture commercial aircraft.
To this day the company has built a second type of plane as well, the Comac C919. The development of Comac C919 started in 2008 with the first model manifactured on the 2nd of November 2015 and it made its first flight on the 5th of May 2017. Comac C919 is still being tested and it is planned to enter service in 2021.
Along with these two examples, the company is working on its 3rd model in collaboration with Russia, the CRAIC CR929, which is planned to be a wide-body aircraft with 250 to 290 seats capacity. The CRAIC CR929 is expected to take its first flight in 2023 or later.
But the company is not exactly a success story yet, in January 2021 the US government banned Americans from investing in COMAC, due to allegedly developing new technologies to support the People’s Liberation Army.
Most Popular Aircraft Models by COMAC
source: samchui
Comac ARJ21 Xiangfeng
The development of this model started in March 2002 by ACAC consortium, a subsidiary of China Aviation Industry Corporation I. Due to delays in the design work the first prototype was introduced on the 21st of December 2007. The ACAC consortium is now a part of COMAC.
Primary user of the 78-90 seat regional jet is Chengdu Airlines and it was first introduced on the 28th of June by the same company.
COMAC C909 (Formerly ARJ21)
The COMAC C909, originally known as the ARJ21, is a short- to medium-range regional jet developed by COMAC. In November 2024, COMAC introduced C909 as the aircraft’s commercial name as part of a unified product naming system that now includes the C909, C919 and C929.
The C909 entered commercial operation in 2016 and has since become an established part of COMAC’s aircraft portfolio. It can accommodate between 78 and 97 passengers, depending on cabin configuration, and has a published range of approximately 2,225 to 3,700 km.
Comac C919
This model has a similar layout to Boeing 737 and Airbus A320 and has a seat capacity of 158 to 192. The narrow-body jet has 305 orders and 658 letters of intent as of as of 31 August 2018.
Length of Comac C919 is 38.9 meters and its wingspan is 35.8 meters. The jet weighs 42 tonnes when empty and its extended range is 5,555 kilometers.
Comac C919 is planned to be available for commercial flights in 2021.
C919 Certification and Entry into Commercial Service
The COMAC C919 has progressed from flight testing to commercial airline operations. The aircraft received its Type Certificate from the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) on September 29, 2022. The world’s first C919 was delivered to China Eastern Airlines on December 9, 2022, marking a major milestone for COMAC and China’s commercial aircraft industry.
On May 28, 2023, the C919 completed its first commercial passenger flight, operated by China Eastern Airlines from Shanghai Hongqiao to Beijing Capital. This milestone marked the C919’s official entry into commercial airline service.
COMAC Aircraft Models — 2026
| Model | Category | Seating Capacity |
|---|---|---|
| COMAC C909 (formerly ARJ21) | Regional Jet | 78–97 |
| COMAC C919 | Single-Aisle / Narrow-Body Airliner | 158–192 |
| COMAC C929 | Wide-Body Airliner | 282–440* |
References
- Anon. (n.d.), Comac, Wikipedia, Retrieved 2 March 2021 < https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comac >
- CAPA Centre for Aviation Editor (16 April 2020), China becomes the largest aviation market in the world, CAPA Centre for Aviation, Retrieved 2 March 2021
<https://centreforaviation.com/analysis/reports/china-becomes-the-largest-aviation-market-in-theworld-521779 > - Virginia Harrison (28 April 2019), Can China’s plane-maker take on Boeing and Airbus?, BBC News, Retrieved 2 March 2021< https://www.bbc.com/news/business-47689386 >
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