China’s Comac moves ahead with C929 widebody jet amid reports Russia joint venture has fallen apart

“The C929 aircraft has entered into [the stage of] detailed design. At the same time, we are making efforts in the fields of hybrid, electric, hydrogen and other new energy aircraft to provide more economical, comfortable and environmentally friendly products,” Qi said at the conference organised by the China Air Transport Association (CATA).

He made no mention of Russian involvement in the project.

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In 2017, the two companies set up a joint venture in Shanghai to focus on building a widebody passenger jet called the CR929.

There have not been any official statements from Comac or UAC on the status and future of the joint venture.

There was also no mention of Russian involvement in a Comac announcement in September of the establishment of a laboratory specifically to design the C929.

The laboratory reflects China’s commitment to achieving “technological self-reliance”, speeding up the development of the C929 and enhancing its “independent innovation capabilities” for manufacturing large aircraft, Comac said in a statement on September 28.

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David Yu, chairman of Asia Aviation Valuation Advisors and a professor at New York University Shanghai specialising in aviation financing, said a joint venture was always going to be difficult.

“Both parties are not exactly going to see eye to eye,” Yu said. “The good thing is now they [Comac] are fully in control. But with resources, they’ll need a lot more than before, such as investment and personnel.”

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Why it took China’s home-grown C919 plane 15 years to start flying passengers

Why it took China’s home-grown C919 plane 15 years to start flying passengers

Lin Zhijie, an industry analyst and an expert at Carnoc, a Chinese civil aviation website, said production capacity was also a problem for Boeing and Airbus.

“The current main reasons are supply chain problems caused by the Covid-19 pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine conflict. These include engines and core components,” Lin said. “For Comac, which is starting from scratch, it may take several years.”

Liu Daxiang, deputy director of the science and technology committee at the Aviation Industry Corporation of China, said development of large commercial aircraft played an important role in the country’s economy and defence capacity.

“Large aircraft are a strategic product of a country, and hi-tech is an important symbol of a country’s strength. If we don’t build these, we won’t be able to drive the development of many other key technologies,” Liu said in an interview with Henan Broadcasting System last week.

Minister of Industry and Information Technology Jin Zhuanglong told state broadcaster CCTV on Saturday that hi-tech manufacturing had added value to China’s industrial structure this year.

“At present, China’s industrial economy is still in a critical period of restoring growth and transformation and upgrading. Opportunities and challenges coexist,” Jin said.