- 客機的研發和製造，是一個國家航空水平的重要指標，能反映出一個國家製造業的實力。中國商用飛機公司(以下簡稱中國商飛)首架自製的小型客機C919，2017年5月5日在上海浦東機場首次試飛，2022年12月9日正式交機給中國東方航空，2023年5月28日從上海虹橋機場飛往北京首都機場，完成首次載客飛行。
- C919中的C是China的首字母，也是中國商飛英文縮寫COMAC的首字母，第一個「9」寓意是天長地久，「19」代表的是中國第一架國產客機，最大載客量為190座，在國際航空市場上的目標競爭對手為波音737以及空中巴士A320。這是窄體客機市場多年來的利潤主戰區，大型航空與廉價航空都喜歡這種體型小又省油的機種。延伸閱讀：《知識》客機的區分方式
- 作為中國首架自製的小型客機，C919從2007年2月計劃案成立，2015年11月C919總裝下線，到2017年5月首次試飛，中國造飛機夢想成為現實。然而，C919並非完全國產，引擎及通訊導航設備等重要的內部系統仍是向國外公司購買。像是C919使用的是美國通用電氣航空(GE Aviation)與法國賽峰飛機引擎公司(Safran Aircraft Engines)聯合研製的LEAP-X1C型渦扇發動機，與737和A320屬於同系列。另外也有使用美國漢威聯合(Honeywell International)的系統等。美國智庫戰略和國際研究中心CSIS於2020年的一份報告指出，C919的82家主要供應商中，有多達48家為美國或美國合資公司，26家為歐洲或歐洲合資公司，而完全是中國公司的僅有7家。
- 當任何一間國外供應商透過與中國企業合資的方式在中國進口引擎、航電、飛控系統等關鍵部件，中國都可以藉機獲得技術。中國也正在快馬加鞭，提升自己國產零組件的比例，例如長江CJ-1000A引擎的研發工作。C919數百萬個零部件中，80％的是中國第一次設計生產，許多零件需要進行小批量的生產、試驗與磨合。例如，C919機翼設計，空氣效率聲稱優於空中巴士A320及波音737，由中國西北工業大學研發設計。
- 難道美國不知道這件事嗎？若美國限制或禁止向C919供應飛機關鍵零部件呢？有一種說法是，這樣不符合美國國家利益。因為C919目前沒有對波音737或空中巴士A320構成嚴重的商業威脅，其發展也不會對中國的軍事帶去實質幫助；若進行制裁，則可能推動中國在自製飛機的道路上越走越遠。
- C919飛機運營理念格局很大，以全球市場為導向，利用全球化經濟分工合作體係有利條件，引進先進技術和人才，最大限度的減少浪費，提高產品質量，降低成本，嘗試得到市場的認可。
- 空中巴士的英文首字母是Ａ，波音的英文首字母則是Ｂ，中國客機英文首字母是Ｃ，未來在全球窄體客機市場上，是否會形成ABC的競爭格局？以目前C919的實力只能攻佔中國國內市場不到10%的份額來說，空中巴士與波音仍在客機市場保持領先優勢。
- 目前C919最大的優勢主要有兩個：其一是客艙座位設計較為寬敞，其二是價格比波音及空中巴士的飛機便宜。但C919難以在品牌認可度上與擁有數十年資歷的空中巴士，甚至上百年資歷的波音相提並論，也很難在供應鏈和維修維護服務方面與這兩家世界級巨頭抗衡。
- 事實上，儘管C919已取得中國民航局的適航證，但它也還未獲得受國際認可的歐洲航空安全局(European Union Aviation Safety Agency，簡稱EASA)或美國航空管理局(Federal Aviation Administration，簡稱FAA)的適航證。這意味著目前C919還不能在歐美國家執行飛行任務，自然也很難有歐美客戶，中國商飛也不會把開拓歐美作為優先事項。
- 即便進入歐美市場，由於目前C919機型與兩個競爭對手（A320neo和737 MAX）相比，在航程和座位數量上仍有些許差距，中國商飛必須壓低價格來吸引海外航空公司。據英國廣播公司（BBC）報道，東航曾披露C919價格為9,900萬美元，空中巴士和波音類似飛機的價格為1.1億美元和1.2億美元左右。延伸閱讀：《知識》一架客機賣多少錢？
- 然而，未來波音與空中巴士競爭的重點將是在中國市場。C919最大意義在於打破波音和空中巴士在民航市場的壟斷，逼得競爭對手降價和改進產品。過去幾年以來，中美雙邊的衝突不斷，包括政治、貿易甚至高科技等不同層面。中國為了擺脫對波音以及空中巴士的飛機重度依賴，故在C919研發上特別賣力且積極。
- 波音和空中巴士每年航展都會被問到對C919的看法，兩家都表示歡迎競爭。隨著中國國產客機逐步接近，波音和空中巴士在中國的競爭焦點除了訂單數，開始更多強調與中國航空製造產業的合作深度。中國目前作為全球第二大航空市場，未來還有機會超越美國成為第一大航空市場。這樣的市場地位，讓中國對飛機市場需求規劃有了更多的話語權。
- 再加上中國的民用航空市場很難在沒有波音、空中巴士的情況下增長。即使把現有的波音、空中巴士和中國商飛的訂單都考慮進來，預計中國到2030年底仍將需要近1100架飛機才能滿足替換老飛機和國內旅行不斷增長的需求。
- 目前C919獲得的訂單中，絕大部分來自中國客戶。中國政府的背後支持，讓中國商飛的本土優勢非常大。中國各航空公司可能在未來 20 年增加對飛機的需求，只要中國政府要求國有航空公司購買中國商飛的飛機，他們就必須買。對於C919來說，中國市場已經足夠大了。C919在相當長的時間內將主要服務於中國市場。在出口海外方面，C919最可能攻佔非洲國家的市場，因中國利用結合援助與商業貸款的手段在非洲國家廣設機場與飛航相關的基礎建設，掌握一定程度的影響力。
C919客機於2022年12月9日正式交付給中國東方航空
這架C919飛機註冊號碼是B-919A，B代表中國民航飛機，919就是這架飛機名稱，A則是有第一架的意思。整組編號就是要凸顯這是一架航空界的新機型，也是全球首架之意。
BBC介紹C919發展與挑戰
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Introduction to China's C919 passenger aircraft
- The development and manufacture of commercial aircraft is an important indicator to reflect a country's manufacturing level. China took a big step in building its own aircraft. Their first small jetliner, the C919, produced by Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC), took off for the first time in 2017. After more testing and preparation, it was finally delivered to China Eastern Airlines in 2022. In May 2023, it carried its first passengers on a business flight from Shanghai to Beijing.
- The "C" in C919 stands for China, and the first "9" means "forever" in Chinese, the "19" indicates this aircraft can carry up to 190 passengers, similar to popular aircraft like the Boeing 737 and Airbus A320. These aircraft are big moneymakers for airlines, so the C919 hopes to compete with them.
- China started building its own aircraft, the C919, back in 2007. They finally unveiled the first one in 2015, and two years later, it took to the skies for its first flight. It was a big moment for China, a dream come true. But here's the thing: not everything on the C919 is homemade. Some important parts, like the engines and the navigation systems, still come from other countries. For example, the C919 uses the LEAP-X1C turbofan engine, which was developed by General Electric Aviation of the United States and Safran Aircraft Engines of France. It is the same series as the 737 and A320. It also uses systems from Honeywell International of the United States. In 2020, a report by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), a US think tank, found that of the 82 major suppliers of the C919, 48 are US or US joint ventures, 26 are European or European joint ventures, and only 7 are entirely Chinese companies.
- Despite these concerns, China is determined to achieve self-sufficiency in commercial aircraft production. The country is investing heavily in research and development, and is also working to increase the proportion of domestically produced components in the C919. For example, China is developing its own domestically produced engine, the CJ-1000A. Of the millions of parts in the C919, 80% are designed and manufactured by China for the first time. Many parts need to be produced in small batches, tested, and debugged. For example, the C919 wing design, which is claimed to have better aerodynamic efficiency than the Airbus A320 and Boeing 737, was developed by Northwestern Polytechnical University in China.
- Does the United States not know this? What if the United States restricts or prohibits the supply of key aircraft components to the C919? There is a saying that this is not in the US national interest. Because the C919 does not currently pose a serious commercial threat to the Boeing 737 or the Airbus A320, and its development will not bring any real help to China's military; if sanctions are imposed, it may push China to go even further on the road to self-made aircraft.
- The operating concept of the C919 aircraft is very ambitious. It is guided by the global market, takes advantage of the favorable conditions of the globalized economic division of labor and cooperation system, introduces advanced technologies and talents, minimizes waste to the greatest extent, improves product quality, lowers costs, and tries to get market recognition.
- Airbus's first letter is A, Boeing's first letter is B, and COMAC's first letter is C. In the future, will the global narrow-body passenger aircraft market form an ABC competitive landscape? From the perspective that the current strength of the C919 can only occupy less than 10% of the domestic market in China, Airbus and Boeing still maintain a leading edge in the passenger aircraft market.
- Currently, the biggest advantages of the C919 are mainly two: the first is that the cabin seat design is more spacious, and the second is that the price is cheaper than Boeing and Airbus aircraft. However, the C919 is difficult to compare with Airbus, which has decades of experience, or even Boeing, which has hundreds of years of experience, in terms of brand recognition. It is also difficult to compete with these two world giants in terms of supply chain and maintenance and repair services.
- In fact, although the C919 has obtained the airworthiness certificate from the Civil Aviation Administration of China, it has not yet obtained the airworthiness certificate from the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) or the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) recognized internationally. This means that the C919 cannot currently operate flights in Europe and the United States, naturally it is also difficult to have European and American customers, and COMAC will not make it a priority to open up Europe and the United States.
- Even if it enters the European and American markets, the C919 model still has some differences in range and seat capacity compared to its two competitors (the A320neo and the 737 MAX). COMAC must lower prices to attract overseas airlines. According to a report by the BBC, China Eastern Airlines once disclosed that the price of the C919 was $99 million, while the prices of similar aircraft from Airbus and Boeing were around $110 million and $120 million.
- However, the focus of future competition between Boeing and Airbus will be in the China market. The greatest significance of the C919 is to break the monopoly of Boeing and Airbus in the civil aviation market, forcing competitors to lower prices and improve products. In recent years, there have been constant conflicts between China and the United States, including political, trade, and even high-tech. In order to break away from the heavy reliance on Boeing and Airbus aircraft, China has been particularly diligent and active in the development of the C919.
- Boeing and Airbus are asked about their views on the C919 at every air show, and both companies express their welcome of competition. As China's domestically produced passenger aircraft gradually approaches, Boeing and Airbus's competition focus in China has begun to emphasize the depth of cooperation with China's aviation manufacturing industry in addition to the number of orders. China is currently the second largest aviation market in the world, and it has the potential to surpass the United States to become the largest aviation market in the future. Such market position gives China more say in the planning of aircraft market demand.
- In addition, China's civil aviation market is difficult to grow without Boeing and Airbus. Even considering the existing orders from Boeing, Airbus, and COMAC, it is estimated that China will still need nearly 1,100 aircraft by the end of 2030 to meet the needs of replacing old aircraft and growing domestic travel.
- The majority of orders that the C919 has received so far come from Chinese customers. The strong domestic advantage of COMAC is supported by the Chinese government. Chinese airlines may increase their demand for aircraft in the next 20 years. As long as the Chinese government requires state-owned airlines to purchase aircraft from COMAC, they must buy them. For the C919, the Chinese market is already large enough. The C919 will mainly serve the Chinese market for a considerable period of time. In terms of exporting overseas, the C919 is most likely to occupy the market of African countries. This is because China has established airports and aviation-related infrastructure in African countries through a combination of aid and commercial loans, and has gained a certain degree of influence.
