China has come out in force at the Singapore Airshow this year, bringing its largest-ever contingent and showing off the new C919 — the country's first domestically developed large, narrow-body passenger aircraft.
The event also marks the first time the twin-engine airliner has been exhibited outside Chinese territory. The state-owned Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC) is aiming to market the plane internationally, particularly in Asia, and take on industry leaders such as Airbus, with its A320neo, and Boeing, with its scandal-hit 737 Max series.
“Given the current state of the aircraft market, with Boeing having reduced production due to quality control issues and Airbus’ backlog being very long, this presents COMAC with a potential opening for new customers,” said David Yu, chairman of Asia Aviation Valuation Advisors and professor of finance at New York University.