(Reuters) – The narrow-body C919, manufactured by the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (Comac), a Chinese competitor of Airbus and Boeing, made its first trip outside Chinese territory on Sunday, flying over during the Singapore Airshow.
China has invested heavily in an attempt to break the dominance of the two Western manufacturers in commercial aviation.
This year, China has indicated that it will try to increase the presence of the C919 and Comac inside and outside the country. The plane is only certified in China, and the first of the four C919s began flying last year via China Eastern Airlines.
Currently, Airbus and Boeing are struggling to increase production and meet demand for new planes.
According to Chinese media, citing an official from the manufacturer as a source, Comac is expected to invest tens of billions of yuan over the next three to five years to expand production capacity for the C919.
China’s aviation authority said last month that it would appeal this year to the European Union’s Aviation Safety Agency (Aesa) for validation of the C919, a process that began in 2018.
The C919 was one of two commercial aircraft, alongside the Airbus, to fly off the coast of Singapore in this Sunday’s preview of Asia’s biggest air show. Boeing will not be exhibiting any commercial aircraft this year.
Comac has two passenger products: the ARJ21 regional jet and the twin-engine single-aisle C919, with 158-192 seats, which competes with the established Airbus A320neo and Boeing 737 MAX 8 models.