Neither Boeing nor Airbus: the Chinese aircraft manufacturer that threatens the hegemony of the two giants of the sector

China’s state‑owned aerospace company COMAC (Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China) has one mission: break the decades‑long Boeing‑Airbus duopoly and become a major force in global aviation. To get there, the company is accelerating development and production of aircraft designed for international commercial routes.

At the center of that push is the C919, COMAC’s flagship passenger jet. The aircraft made headlines after completing its first flight outside China — a trip to Singapore — as the company positions it as a direct competitor to the Airbus A320neo and Boeing 737 MAX.

The C919 seats between 158 and 192 passengers and offers a range of roughly 2,530 to 3,450 miles. COMAC describes it as the first large passenger jet independently developed in China “in accordance with international airworthiness standards and with fully independent intellectual property rights.”

“COMAC will be a global competitor — but it will take time”

Willie Walsh, director general of the International Air Transport Association (IATA), told the BBC that COMAC’s rise is inevitable, but gradual.“Over time, COMAC will become a global competitor… but it will take time,” Walsh said. “I think in 10 or 15 years we’ll be talking about Boeing, Airbus, and COMAC. They’ll definitely be a major player in the future.”

Asia’s aviation sector is feeling the pressure. Airlines urgently need new aircraft, but Boeing and Airbus are struggling to meet delivery schedules.“It’s incredibly frustrating for airlines,” Walsh noted. “The wait time between placing an order and receiving the aircraft is about seven years.”

A supply chain dominated by two giants

Subhas Menon, director general of the Association of Asia Pacific Airlines (AAPA), told the BBC that the industry’s bottleneck is structural.“We need more suppliers in the supply chain,” he said. “The problem in this industry is that the supply chain is an oligopoly — and sometimes even a duopoly.”

With demand surging and delivery delays mounting, COMAC’s emergence couldn’t come at a more critical moment for the region’s airlines.

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