Made-in-China airliner seeks buyers at Singapore air show

China debuts C919 passenger jet at Singapore air show, aiming to challenge Airbus and Boeing dominance in aviation.

China’s first domestically- produced passenger jet was presented at Asia’s biggest air show, which opened in Singapore on Tuesday, as Beijing seeks to stamp its presence in global aviation.

With its C919 aircraft, Beijing wants to challenge the decades-long dominance of top plane makers Airbus and Boeing while reducing its reliance on foreign technology.

The single-aisle model from COMAC is a potential competitor to the market-leading A320, made by Europe’s Airbus, and the 737 MAX from U.S.-based Boeing — which kept a low profile at the Singapore air show following a recent safety crisis. On the first day of the event in the city-state, the C919 wowed the crowd of trade exhibitors, aviation executives and officials with sleek aerial manoeuvres, sporting a white, green and navy blue livery. It will take part in the daily flying displays at the six-day event, and features among the static exhibits at a sprawling site near Changi Airport.

A C919 plane in the China Eastern livery was among dozens of commercial and military aircraft on the ground. Beside it were two ARJ21s, smaller commercial jets also made by state-owned Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC).

The C919 has been making commercial flights in China since May, and was displayed for the first time outside mainland China in Hong Kong in December.

While it has yet to attract buyers outside the country, the C919 scored its first order at the air show from China’s Tibet Airlines, which signed a contract to buy 40 of them and 10 ARJ21s.

Henan Civil Aviation Development and Investment Group also bought six ARJ21s which it will use for firefighting, medical service and emergency management, COMAC said.