The price of the mainland's domestic large aircraft C919 suddenly increased, up by 9 million US dollars, but the number of orders did not decrease but increased?
Why is Boeing, which returned to the Chinese market at the same time, not a rival to the C919?
A look back at the C919 manufacturing thorny road
COMAC C919 is the first jet medium-haul mainline airliner developed by the mainland in accordance with international standards and with independent intellectual property rights.
In 2007, the mainland government officially launched the research and development project of the C919 large aircraft, marking the official launch of the national large aircraft project.
In order to ensure that the R&D work can be carried out smoothly, COMAC has set up a professional team composed of thousands of technical experts, who have conducted in-depth research on technical planning, market dynamics and design solutions, thus laying a solid foundation for the company's R&D work.
In 2011, the C919 aircraft officially entered the design stage, and COMAC set up a number of research teams to be responsible for the research and development of a number of important systems inside the aircraft.
After 6 years, the first test flight of the C919 large aircraft was carried out in 2017, indicating that the research and development of the C919 large aircraft has made a major successful breakthrough. In the design and development of C919, Continental has made breakthroughs in key technologies.
In aircraft manufacturing, the most technical and costly systems are structure, engine and avionics. The C919 large aircraft is equipped with advanced aerodynamic design, high-performance engine, advanced avionics system, etc., so that C919 has a great competitive advantage in similar aircraft
However, the controversy over whether the C919 is "localized" or "assembled" has continued. In the R&D strategy of C919, we have chosen the "master manufacturer-supplier" cooperation model.
This means that the C919 is supplied all over the world, including those that supply components to Airbus and Boeing. However, the specific types of components needed and the technical standards for these parts are completely determined by COMAC, and we have absolute decision-making autonomy.
The price of C919 has risen sharply, but the number of orders has not decreased
In 2022, the C919 successfully obtained the type certification issued by the Civil Aviation Administration of China, thus obtaining the qualification certificate to officially enter commercial operation.
At the opening ceremony of the 14th China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition, the C919 demonstrated its flying skills for the first time. Through this air show activity, the C919 has successfully secured 300 new aircraft orders, and the total number of orders has exceeded 1,100 aircraft.
In 2023, the C919 will be officially put into commercial operation, and the first commercial flight of the domestic large aircraft C919 will be a complete success. As a new model that has just made its first commercial flight, it is amazing that it has achieved such excellent order results once it has been launched.
At present, the main customers of C919 are several major domestic airlines and aviation leasing companies, and orders from the United States and Germany account for only a small part.
However, just recently, the unit price of the C919 aircraft rose to $108 million, and the market suddenly set off a lot of waves. There are many reasons behind this, but the main one is the high level of market recognition of its technology and performance.
Just when people were talking about the sharp rise in the price of C919, China Eastern Airlines actually signed a huge order of 10 billion yuan and purchased 100 C919 aircraft. Why are domestic airlines so eager to buy C919?
First of all, the aircraft is highly technically competitive. Secondly, the price of C919 is relatively low compared to international brands, but its performance is not inferior. This year, some airlines have purchased a large number of additional C919s with a wave of their hands, reflecting the market's recognition and confidence in this aircraft.
Although the price of the C919 has been significantly increased, it is still slightly cheaper compared to Airbus and Boeing. At the same time, the accumulated order volume of the C919 also provides support for its competitiveness, and the demand in the Chinese aviation market will continue to drive sales of the C919 regardless of price adjustments.
Domestic aircraft continue to make breakthroughs
It's not just the mainland that has put a lot of effort into large commercial airliners. Japan, a country with dreams of transcendence, had long hoped that the Mitsubishi Jetliner would succeed. However, the teasing of fate has left him in a deep predicament.
On a cold winter in 2023, Japan's Mitsubishi Jetliner failed to test flight, which plunged Japan into disappointment for a while.
The aircraft was expected to be high over the course of 15 years in development, but Japan's ambitions were shattered many times, as if it had fallen from heaven to hell.
In contrast, COMAC C919 has become a strong dark horse in the international aviation market and has achieved remarkable results. Why did the C919 succeed while the Mitsubishi aircraft failed in Japan?
First of all, the research and development of large passenger aircraft requires complex and complex technical support, COMAC C919 has received strong support from the state, has an advanced R&D team and technology, and relies on the country's industrial support, so it can focus on R&D and construction of high-quality and advanced aircraft, without worrying about market demand and sales.
In contrast, Japan's Mitsubishi company went it alone, and it coincided with the impact of the epidemic, and the financial situation was wide open, which directly led to the rupture of the follow-up R&D capital chain.
Second, China's aviation industry development plan is strongly supported by the state, which has led to a positive interaction between R&D and market demand. Japan's Mitsubishi faces different challenges from COMAC's when developing large aircraft.
In addition, the market demand and development foundation of civil aviation passenger aircraft is also a strong backing for the production and research and development of large passenger aircraft. On the mainland, the C919 has received strong support from the state, which allows it to move forward with peace of mind for the overall planning and address potential issues.
The reason behind Mitsubishi's bankruptcy and continued support is also related to the challenges it has encountered in various fields such as technology, economics and markets.
In summary, COMAC C919 can be successfully developed and entered the market, which is closely related to the strong support of the state, advanced team technology and the long-term development plan of the industry.
It can be seen that China has made relatively proud achievements in vigorously developing the aircraft manufacturing industry for decades, which is inseparable from the support of the national government and the efforts of every scientific research personnel.
China's ability to make such a huge breakthrough in the field of large aircraft is undoubtedly a great encouragement to the mainland's aircraft industry. With the continuous expansion of China's aviation market and the continuous improvement of domestic aviation technology, the C919 will play a more important role in the global large passenger aircraft market in the future, and we look forward to its better performance.