BEIJING, China: At a ceremony this week, China certified its C 919 narrow-body passenger jet, which is part of the country's plans to challenge the dominance of Airbus and Boeing in the commercial air industry.
The plane was expected to be certified by the end of the month after two C 919 s flew to Beijing on September 13th, according to the state-owned aircraft company Commercial Aircraft Corp. of China.
Launched 14 years ago and designed to carry up to 168 passengers, the C 919 will compete against Airbus' A 320 neo and Boeing's 737 MAX families in China, the world's second largest aviation market.
Despite being assembled in China, the C 919 relies heavily on components, such as engines and avionics, made by Western companies, including GE, Safran and Honeywell International.
Chinese production will be hampered by strict U.S. export licensing rules until China can replace foreign engines and components with locally-made technology.
Richard Aboulafia, the head of AeroDynamic Advisory in the U.S., said the plane seemed like a relic of a bygone era of increasing integration between China and the West.
We have an aircraft that is only superficially Chinese, but powered by Western technologies and systems. He said that it would take well over a decade and many billions of dollars to make a genuine Chinese aircraft.
According to a research note by Huaxi Securities this month, The C 919 will replace single-aisle aircraft made by Boeing and Airbus. For many years, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency has worked on a certification process for the C 919, stating that We cannot comment on the date when this validation would be completed.