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Text: Xu Xu.
Edited by Xu Xu.
Since the domestic large passenger aircraft C919 was put into operation last year, its excellent performance and rapid development speed have attracted the attention of the aviation industry at home and abroad. At this year's Singapore International Airshow, the C919 shined and attracted the attention of many foreign airlines. Recently, a blockbuster news made the Chinese people excited: Vietnam Vietjet Air officially signed a contract to purchase C919, becoming the first overseas user to confirm the introduction of this model. This not only marks that C919 has taken a key step towards the international market, but also means that the overall strength of China's civil aviation industry has been internationally recognized. What is the profound significance of the export road of C919? Can it become a "disruptor" in the civil aviation market and bring new changes? Let us discuss together.
First, the excellent performance of C919 has won international favor
Since its first commercial operation in 2022, the C919's performance can be described as "amazing". In just 9 months, it has completed 3,300 hours of commercial flights, and all indicators have performed well, fully demonstrating the technical strength and manufacturing level of COMAC. It is with such an excellent report card that the C919 attracted the attention of many international airlines as soon as it was unveiled at the Singapore Airshow.
As the second largest airline in Vietnam, Vietjet Air officially signed a contract to purchase C919, becoming the first overseas user to "eat crabs". It is reported that Vietjet has sent a team of flight attendants to take a group photo in front of the COMAC assembly plant and participated in the grand signing ceremony. This move undoubtedly gave other countries that are still waiting to see a "reassurance", proving that C919 is not only favored by the Chinese market, but also recognized by the international market.
Of course, Vietjet is not the first overseas company to purchase C919. It is reported that GE Aviation Finance, a subsidiary of General Electric, has placed an order for 20 aircraft before the C919 certification and test flight. This fully shows that the international capital market is full of confidence in the prospects of C919, and also confirms a truth: commercial interests have no borders, and where it is profitable, capital will flock to it.
Second, the deep meaning of C919 export: standard output and system recognition
The significance of the first export of C919 is not limited to the product level, but also an important step for the mainland civil aviation standard system to go global. For a long time, due to the lack of independent large-scale aircraft industry, many countries have "copied" European and American standards in airworthiness certification and type certification, and even have no ability to do standards. The introduction of C919 by Vietjet shows that they have recognized China's airworthiness standards and certification process, and believe that the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) has the same authority and credibility as the FAA of the United States and EASA of Europe.
The output of this standard means that the entire system of the mainland civil aviation industry from design, manufacturing to flight test, finalization and certification has been recognized by the international community. It clears the obstacles for the global promotion of C919 and even the future C929, C939 and other models, so that Chinese standards can truly go to the world. It is foreseeable that in the future, CAAC is expected to become another civil aviation authority with international discourse after FAA and EASA, and COMAC will also be comparable to Boeing and Airbus and become one of the important players in the civil aircraft market.
3. The long-term challenge of C919: improve the global service guarantee system
Of course, for C919, the signing of Vietjet is just a good start, and there is still a long way to go to truly gain a foothold in the international civil aviation market. Aircraft post-delivery use guarantee and maintenance services are often the key factors that determine their market competitiveness. At present, there is still a big gap between C919 and mature models in terms of global spare parts library and maintenance system.
For example, if an Airbus user damages a radome due to a bird strike, it can be replaced at any time at a global network, while a C919 may need to be flown back to China for repairs or wait for COMAC to ship it from Shanghai. This affects the user experience to a great extent. Another example is Russia's civil aviation industry, which has missed opportunities because maintenance and support cannot keep up.
Therefore, for COMAC, while R&D and manufacturing, it is necessary to pay more attention to the construction of a global sales and service network, including spare parts warehouse, maintenance station, second-hand aircraft utilization and other links, so as to provide customers with all-round and full-cycle protection, improve the long-term operation efficiency and reliability of C919, and reduce the cost of use, so as to win the trust of more users and gain a firm foothold in the civil aviation market.
Fourth, the future of C919: opportunities and challenges coexist
The first export of C919 has aroused widespread attention and heated discussions at home and abroad. Proponents believe that this is a historic step for domestic large aircraft to go global, proving the overall strength of the continental aviation industry, while skeptics are worried about whether the C919 can withstand the test of the international market and how much market impact it can bring.
Objectively speaking, C919 still faces many challenges if it wants to become a "disruptor" in the civil aviation market. On the one hand, traditional airlines such as Boeing and Airbus have deep accumulation in technology, market, brand, etc., and it is not easy for C919 to compete with them; on the other hand, it is difficult for a single model to meet the diversified market demand, and C919 also needs to expand the model lineage as soon as possible to form differentiated competitiveness.
However, we should also note that with the rise of China's economy and the increase of its international influence, more and more countries are willing to use Chinese standards and buy Chinese products. The export of C919 is the recognition of China's comprehensive strength by the international community. In the future, with the improvement of the C919 global service guarantee system and the launch of new models such as C929 and C939, COMAC will occupy an increasingly important position in the civil aviation market and inject new vitality into the global aviation industry.
epilogue
The first export of C919 is an important milestone for China's civil aviation industry to move from large to strong. It not only opens a new journey for domestic large aircraft to the world, but also marks that Chinese standards and Chinese manufacturing have been internationally recognized. This is a historical moment that all of us people should be proud of and proud of.
Of course, the future of C919 is still a long one, with both opportunities and challenges. As Chinese people, we should not only applaud the achievements of C919, but also promote the quality and upgrading of C919 and even the entire civil aviation industry with a more open and confident attitude, and accelerate the pace of building a strong civil aviation country. The first export of C919 is just a starting point, and I believe that in the near future, we will be able to see more and more "Made in China" in the blue sky.
What do you think is the significance of the export of C919 to promote the high-quality development of the continental aviation industry? What are your expectations for the future market prospects of domestic large aircraft? Welcome to leave a message to discuss.