USA has given green light to continue selling engines for the Comac C919the plane with which China seeks to challenge the Airbus-Boeing duopoly. But that same decision contains a paradox: it has given Beijin one more reason to move towards Your own autonomy. Who ensures that another restriction is not applied within a few months? What will happen when that plane begins to cross borders?
China has been preparing for years. The C919 is not a prototype or a laboratory promise: it is a narrow fuselage aircraft that can accommodate up to 192 seats and boasts a range of between 4,075 and 5,555 kilometers. At the moment they are in service 18 units, but orders multiply.
China’s aerial dream flies with western help (for the moment)
This ambitious project continues to depend largely on foreign engineering. The flight control system, the brakes, the plane, the auxiliary power unit … A good part of the critical components come from American or European companies. And in the center of everything, the engine: the LEAP-1Cdeveloped by CFM Internationala joint business between the American Ge Aeospace and the French Safran.
The United States Department of Commerce Department to reactivate the export licenses of the aforementioned engines is presented as a momentary relief for China, which will be able to comply with the expected delivery deadlines, but also as a signal. As Hugh Ritchie points outCEO of Aviation Analyst International in Australia:
“Without access to that technology, in essence US would control the pieces of Chinese airplanes.”
China has been learning to read between the lines. Each commercial restriction, each veto, has been interpreted as a notice. When the Trump administration vetoed Huaweithe blow was very real. His market level collapsed and seemed to be out of the game. But far from resigning, Huawei redoubled his technological commitment. In 2025 he has recovered an outstanding place in the marketlaunches phones with own chips such as Kirin 9010 And he has reactivated his muscle in artificial intelligence with his new Ascend 910c.
The automotive tells a similar story. For years, Chinese manufacturers dealt with the distrust of the international market. Today, names such as Byd or MG compete in price, design and autonomy with historical manufacturers. It has not been a blow of luck, but the result of a strategy.
That is why C919 is not an isolated case. It is part of a pattern. So everything seems to indicate that it is a matter of time for China stop depending on Western engines. He CJ – 1000A It is the name of the engine that develops AECC (Aero Engine Corporation of China) as a national alternative to the LEAP -1C. It is not finished, it is not certified, nor does it have a green light for mass production. But progress silently.
LEAP -1C, the western engine used by Chinese mate
The plan has been running for years. The prototype It has completed several Tests at Banco Esque 2018. According to Airinsightthe declared objective is that the CJ -1000A is ready to replace the LEAP -1C in the future versions of the C919 throughout this decade. The most optimistic forecasts indicate that the Chinese engine could be certified for commercial flights around 2030, although a 2035 distant is also on the horizon.
China has several arguments to continue working in that direction. The Chinese aviation market is one of the largest on the planet, and grows with a speed that few can match. According to the commercial Boeing Market Outlook 2024–2043China will need around 8,600 new commercial airplanes during the next two decades. Comac wants to keep a portion of that demand. And if you get it, you will not need to leave the country to become a relevant actor.
That explains why the C919 can be allowed to operate exclusively within China as long as it advances in international certifications. Also why their own engines – although they are not ready tomorrow – have guaranteed an entrance way. An internal market of that size offers something that few economies can ensure: scale.
In parallel, Comac does not hide its outer ambition. The European regulator (EASA) estimates that C919 certification could reach between three and six years since 2025which places the possible approval between 2028 and 2031. If you get it, it will finally make the leap out of its borders.
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