China’s COMAC showcases its growing aviation confidence with a subdued but strategic appearance at the Paris Air Show 2025
The appearance of Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC) at the 55th Air Paris Show marked a symbolic moment for China’s nascent aviation sector.
The Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC) continued its intention to expand its aviation sector at the 55th Paris Air Show 2025 with a subdued, but strategic, presence. China’s state-owned COMAC is still seeking certification in Europe for its C919 – the first airliner it’s ever produced domestically – but is slowly building its influence/presence in the West (see paper An Analysis of China’s fledgling aviation industry).
COMAC was showcasing its C919, which represents China’s challenge to the dominance of Airbus and Boeing, and is placed to compete with the Airbus A320neo and Boeing 737-8 (or 737 MAX). The C919 seats between 158 and 192 passengers and offers advanced fuel efficiency with 15% savings, as well as an extended version with more passenger capacity and an extended range variant.
COMAC’s C919 represents a flagship for China’s growing aviation industry
The C919 can also operate on up to 50% Sustainable Aviation Fuel. However, its “Made in China” claim has been refuted, with significant components being sourced from Europe and the U.S.
The C919 marks an important step in China’s ambitions to become self-reliant in terms of developing a domestic commercial aircraft industry, and to build a global aviation presence and supply chain. However, it has so far failed to gain approval in Europe and the U.S. and is unlikely to disrupt the Airbus-Boeing duopoly. But it’s seen as COMAC’s “standard-bearer” to develop its fledgling aviation sector on a global basis and build a regional supply chain.
The Paris showcasing of the C919 was symbolic for COMAC, with its only other appearance outside China occurring during a flight to Hong Kong in December 2024. Known deliveries of the aircraft stand at around 20, all of which are operated by Chinese carriers and lessors, despite the company’s claim of hundreds of orders. The only international order for the C919 so far has come from Brunei-based airline GallopAir – which is backed by Chinese investors.
Orders for COMAC’s C909 are taking off throughout Southeast Asia
It's most mature product, the C909 – which was specifically designed for short runways and high-temperature environment, making it suited to regions which lack sophisticated airline infrastructure – is faring better in terms of reach beyond China.
COMAC has delivered 165 units since the aircraft’s launch in 2016. It is proving popular in Southeast Asia – for example, Lao Airlines and VietJet are both scheduled to operate the jet by 2025, joining Indonesia’s TransNusa. Collectively, these carriers now serve 15 routes across 18 cities in the region.
Importantly, COMAC also took the opportunity to promote its in-development C929 airliner, which it says is at the detailed design stage. The C929 is a long-range, twin-aisle aircraft, that can carry between 280 and 400 passengers, and is expected to have a range of 12,000 km.
It was originally co-developed as a joint venture between COMAC and Russia’s United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) under the name CR929, but Russia’s involvement in Ukraine led to its withdrawal, leaving COMAC as its sole developer. The C929 is expected to be developed and constructed by 2027 and is perceived by China as a competitor to Airbus and Boeing.
Paris Air Show showcases COMAC and China’s growing aviation confidence
The Paris Air Show represents the growth of China’s nascent aviation sector with COMAC employing a steady, but strategic, approach to promoting its growing expertise and an expanding local supply chain. However, COMAC and the Chinese aviation sector remain dependent on foreign technologies, particularly those developed by Boeing and Airbus, which already have significant presence in China’s aviation supply chains.
For example, Airbus has opened a second production line in China via its Airbus A320 Family Final Assembly Line Asia (FALA), in Tianjin, with operations planned to start this year. In doing so, Airbus is accelerating Chinese knowledge and enabling more Chinese components to be incorporated into Airbus planes. In this respect, Airbus is contributing to an expanded role for Chinese aviation entities in the global supply chain.
For more insight and information download our recent paper An Analysis of China’s fledgling aviation industry.
