China to Feature Domestic Jetliner at Singapore Airshow
China is preparing for the Singapore Airshow, where it will present its narrow-body passenger jet to a worldwide audience for the first time.
One of the most anticipated elements of this year’s exhibition is the Comac C919, which is being positioned as a rival to the Boeing 737 and the Airbus 320.
The Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China, or Comac, created the commercial aircraft, which received certification in September 2022 from the Chinese Civil Aviation Administration.
“Flying for the first time at the Singapore Airshow, is the C919, a narrow-body airliner developed by Chinese aircraft manufacturer Comac,” Singapore Airshow organizer and manager Experia Events said in a statement.
This year’s air show, which takes place from February 20 to 25, is expected to draw tens of thousands of visitors, including military delegations and aviation aficionados.
Among those taking part in this year’s show are defense contractors Lockheed Martin, Dassault, SAAB, Leonardo, and Thales, as well as aerospace and aviation sector heavyweights Airbus, Boeing, and Comac.
“Generally what to look for is a focus on China with the C919 making its international debut. The Singapore Airshow is a fantastic opportunity for Comac particularly given the current situation with Boeing,” Brendan Sobie of Sobie Aviation told.
Sobie pointed out that since it is viewed as “a symbol of Asia’s recovery,” this year’s air show may be noteworthy.
Plus aerial acrobatics
This year’s Singapore Airshow will have the most international flying teams participating, according to organizer Experia. One of the largest aerospace events in Asia, the show debuted in its inaugural version in 2008.
Aerial acrobatics will be performed by the Indian Air Force’s Sarang aerial show squad, which flies customized helicopters. Other examples are the Black Eagles of the Republic of Korea Air Force, the Indonesian Air Force’s Jupiter, and the Roulettes of the Royal Australian Air Force. The organizers have scheduled a flypast of the B-52 Stratofortress of the United States Air Force for February 22.
At the air show, Airbus, one of the commercial aircraft manufacturers, will have its huge widebody A350-1000 model on display. In addition, the French manufacturer will feature static exhibits featuring its wide-body commercial jet, the A330neo, as well as military and helicopter aircraft.
There won’t be any passenger planes from its main competitor Boeing on display at the air show.
This year, airline announcements of large commercial plane orders are unlikely as the primary focus will be on private jets and defense aviation.
“On a global level, the gap with the Dubai Airshow, which has really grown and become big for order announcements, has widened over the last several years, thwarting Singapore’s earlier aspirations to become the third major global show after Paris and Farnborough,” Sobie told.
Additionally, private jet manufacturers Gulfstream, Jet Aviation, and Textron, the manufacturer of Cessnas, will be present at the event.
Additionally, it will include “advanced air mobility,” a newly popular kind of air travel that includes private automobiles, cargo delivery, medical and emergency response transports, and air taxi services.
Small aircraft that can take off and land vertically are known as air taxis, and they are mostly utilized for short distance travel.
Businesses showcasing their flying taxis include Boeing-owned Wisk, Hyundai-owned Supernal, and Beta Technologies.
Increasing aviation traffic
The International Air Transport Association forecasts that industry net earnings might reach $25.7 billion in 2024, a modest increase from $23.3 billion the previous year, indicating that the airline business has continued to improve globally.
The delayed recovery of the Asia-Pacific area was a major factor in the international demand being at 88.3% of pre-Covid levels last year, according to Marie Owens Thomsen, senior vice president for sustainability and chief economist at IATA.
“We expect to see full recovery in 2024,” she continued.
“In the long run, things look promising, particularly for the Asia Pacific region, which is expected to carry nearly half of the world’s passenger traffic by 2024,” stated Owens.
As a result of traffic not having returned to pre-pandemic levels, the Asia-Pacific travel recovery is sometimes viewed as lagging behind other regions, according to Subhas Menon, director general of the Association of Asia Pacific Airlines.
However, “unabating demand, full flights, congested airports and the industry’s return to profitability tells a different story,” Menon said.
“Seven of the world’s busiest international routes in 2023 were in Asia,” he added, highlighting that half of global air travel growth this year will be in the region.
Singapore Airshow will feature a domestic airliner from China.
