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‘Flying Phoenix’ set for take-off, but turbulence lies ahead
Workers with a Comac ARJ21-700 in Shanghai.
China’s first homemade jetliner is poised to make its commercial debut nearly a decade behind schedule, as a local airline took delivery of a regional aircraft that illustrates Beijing’s woes in getting its aerospace sector airborne.
Regional carrier Chengdu Airlines on Sunday received the first of the 30 new ARJ21 jets it ordered from state-owned Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China, or Comac. The ARJ21, dubbed the Flying Phoenix, will enter service after three months of trial operations, Comac said in a statement.
The ARJ21, or Advanced Regional Jet for the 21st century, can carry between 78 and 90 passengers for more than 2200km, Comas says.
Chinese officials originally set a 2006 deadline for the ARJ21’s commercial rollout but pushed back its debut several times due to repeated production setbacks. Similar troubles have plagued Comac’s push to develop a larger jetliner, the C919. A prototype of that 158 to 174 seater was completed this month after years of delays.
The delays underscore how China’s commercial plane makers have struggled to close the gap with Western aerospace giants Airbus and Boeing, despite strong state backing for what Beijing considers a project of national prestige.
“ARJ21 has been a waste of money,” said Keith Crane, an economist at Rand who has studied China’s aviation sector. “It has provided Comac, which inherited the project, with experience working with Western suppliers and with trying to get an aircraft certified, but those pluses are completely outweighed by the costs of the project.”
Industry analysts estimate the ARJ21 racked up billions of dollars in development costs.
In its statement, Comas said the ARJ21 project helped boost technological and developmental know-how in China’s aviation industry, groomed a new crop of aerospace professionals and “created advantageous conditions” for the more ambitious C919 project.
Chinese aerospace officials have previously given the ARJ21’s list price as $US30.5 million ($42.4m), cheaper compared with its many rivals, though analysts say buyers were probably given discounts.
Industry experts said the ARJ21 had little hope of breaking out of its home market amid stiff competition in a regional jet market dominated by Canada’s Bombardier and Brazil’s Embraer. Russia’s Sukhoi also makes a regional jet, while Japan’s Mitsubishi Aircraft will pose a challenge with its 70 to 90-seater that made its maiden flight this month.
The ARJ21 currently lacks US and European certification, which means it can’t be exported or flown to major Western markets. The US Federal Aviation Administration this year ended a shadow evaluation of the Chinese civil-aviation regulator’s ability to assess airworthiness — a bilateral process industry insiders said was fraught with discord over bureaucratic and technical matters.
Comac is developing an ARJ21 variant with design changes that will bring the plane in line with US standards, according to the FAA, which said it would work with Chinese regulators to “develop a path to work towards certification of the derivative model of the ARJ21 and, possibly, the C919”.
Still, Comac can be assured of sales to Chinese airlines, whose aircraft purchases are controlled by the government. Sunday’s delivery was the first of more than 300 orders for the ARJ21, most placed by Chinese airlines and leasing firms. Booming growth in domestic air travel would also help: Boeing projects China’s commercial aeroplane fleet to nearly triple to more than 7200 by 2034, including demand for about 4630 single-aisle planes.
“Internationalising the ARJ21 and the C919 isn’t realistic at this point,” said Gao Yuanyang, an associate professor at Beihang University who studies China’s aviation industry.
“Comac must first focus on the domestic market and gain acceptance from airlines and passengers, in terms of performance, maintenance and comfort.”
The ARJ21 is influenced by the McDonnell Douglas MD-90 and relies heavily on foreign technology.
- Chun Han Wong
- The Wall Street Journal
- December 1, 2015 12:00AM
Workers with a Comac ARJ21-700 in Shanghai.
China’s first homemade jetliner is poised to make its commercial debut nearly a decade behind schedule, as a local airline took delivery of a regional aircraft that illustrates Beijing’s woes in getting its aerospace sector airborne.
Regional carrier Chengdu Airlines on Sunday received the first of the 30 new ARJ21 jets it ordered from state-owned Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China, or Comac. The ARJ21, dubbed the Flying Phoenix, will enter service after three months of trial operations, Comac said in a statement.
The ARJ21, or Advanced Regional Jet for the 21st century, can carry between 78 and 90 passengers for more than 2200km, Comas says.
Chinese officials originally set a 2006 deadline for the ARJ21’s commercial rollout but pushed back its debut several times due to repeated production setbacks. Similar troubles have plagued Comac’s push to develop a larger jetliner, the C919. A prototype of that 158 to 174 seater was completed this month after years of delays.
The delays underscore how China’s commercial plane makers have struggled to close the gap with Western aerospace giants Airbus and Boeing, despite strong state backing for what Beijing considers a project of national prestige.
“ARJ21 has been a waste of money,” said Keith Crane, an economist at Rand who has studied China’s aviation sector. “It has provided Comac, which inherited the project, with experience working with Western suppliers and with trying to get an aircraft certified, but those pluses are completely outweighed by the costs of the project.”
Industry analysts estimate the ARJ21 racked up billions of dollars in development costs.
In its statement, Comas said the ARJ21 project helped boost technological and developmental know-how in China’s aviation industry, groomed a new crop of aerospace professionals and “created advantageous conditions” for the more ambitious C919 project.
Chinese aerospace officials have previously given the ARJ21’s list price as $US30.5 million ($42.4m), cheaper compared with its many rivals, though analysts say buyers were probably given discounts.
Industry experts said the ARJ21 had little hope of breaking out of its home market amid stiff competition in a regional jet market dominated by Canada’s Bombardier and Brazil’s Embraer. Russia’s Sukhoi also makes a regional jet, while Japan’s Mitsubishi Aircraft will pose a challenge with its 70 to 90-seater that made its maiden flight this month.
The ARJ21 currently lacks US and European certification, which means it can’t be exported or flown to major Western markets. The US Federal Aviation Administration this year ended a shadow evaluation of the Chinese civil-aviation regulator’s ability to assess airworthiness — a bilateral process industry insiders said was fraught with discord over bureaucratic and technical matters.
Comac is developing an ARJ21 variant with design changes that will bring the plane in line with US standards, according to the FAA, which said it would work with Chinese regulators to “develop a path to work towards certification of the derivative model of the ARJ21 and, possibly, the C919”.
Still, Comac can be assured of sales to Chinese airlines, whose aircraft purchases are controlled by the government. Sunday’s delivery was the first of more than 300 orders for the ARJ21, most placed by Chinese airlines and leasing firms. Booming growth in domestic air travel would also help: Boeing projects China’s commercial aeroplane fleet to nearly triple to more than 7200 by 2034, including demand for about 4630 single-aisle planes.
“Internationalising the ARJ21 and the C919 isn’t realistic at this point,” said Gao Yuanyang, an associate professor at Beihang University who studies China’s aviation industry.
“Comac must first focus on the domestic market and gain acceptance from airlines and passengers, in terms of performance, maintenance and comfort.”
The ARJ21 is influenced by the McDonnell Douglas MD-90 and relies heavily on foreign technology.
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