The Challenges of Comac's C919: Why Airlines Are Hesitant to Buy

TLDRBoeing and Airbus have long controlled the commercial aircraft market, but recently, their problems have highlighted the need for a third option. Enter Comac's C919, the Chinese alternative. However, despite its potential, the C919 is facing two main challenges: it doesn't match the performance of its competitors and its production rate is slow. This has led to limited sales outside of China and the continuation of Boeing and Airbus' dominance.

Key insights

✈️Boeing and Airbus have dominated the commercial aircraft market for decades.

🛫Comac's C919 is positioned as a potential third option in the market.

🚀The C919 faces challenges in terms of performance and efficiency compared to Boeing and Airbus planes.

🛠️The C919 relies heavily on non-Chinese suppliers, which can limit technological advancements.

⌛Comac's slow production rate hinders its ability to compete with Boeing and Airbus.

Q&A

Why haven't airlines shown interest in buying the C919?

—The C919 doesn't match the performance and efficiency of its competitors, making it less attractive to airlines.

What is limiting the technological advancements of the C919?

—Comac relies on non-Chinese suppliers, who are hesitant to provide their latest technology due to intellectual property concerns.

How does the production rate of the C919 compare to Boeing and Airbus?

—Comac's production rate is much slower, with only 10 planes built since 2011, while Boeing and Airbus build over one plane a day.

Is the C919 a viable alternative to Boeing and Airbus planes?

—Currently, the C919 doesn't offer the same performance, efficiency, and availability as its competitors, making it less attractive to airlines.

Do you think the C919 will gain more traction in the future?

—While Comac is taken seriously by Boeing and Airbus, the C919's current challenges make it unlikely to see significant adoption outside of China.

Timestamped Summary

00:00Boeing and Airbus have controlled the commercial aircraft market, but their recent problems have highlighted the need for a third option.

02:32The C919 faces challenges in terms of performance and efficiency compared to its competitors, making it less attractive to airlines.

06:06Comac relies on non-Chinese suppliers for components, limiting its access to the latest technology.

07:58The production rate of the C919 is slow, with only 10 planes built since 2011, while Boeing and Airbus build over one plane a day.

08:46Currently, the C919 doesn't offer the same performance, efficiency, and availability as Boeing and Airbus planes, making it less attractive to airlines.

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