Boeing began work on its first large jet, the iconic 747 series, in the 1960s, as air travel in the US was entering a golden age. The plane was inducted into service in 1970, 13 years after Boeing’s first narrowbody, the 707, was launched.
But Airbus needed less than 10 years – from conception to trial production – to create its first widebody model, the A300, with the plane entering into service in 1974.
The C929 was first conceived in 2016 as a Sino-Russian joint venture project, then known as the CR929. Though Russia later pulled out, some groundwork had already been laid for the project.
“Certainly you don’t have to start all over again, as the CR929 has already provided a foundation,” said a source with COMAC subsidiary Shanghai Aircraft Manufacturing, who declined to be named.
“Designing a widebody today is easier than when Boeing first started out in the 1960s. There are mature designs, components and partners that COMAC can look at.”
But analysts warn that COMAC may have to navigate some tough geopolitical headwinds to get its widebodies off the ground. While external tensions are unlikely to deter the company from pursuing its ambitions, they could complicate them.
In particular, the commercial viability of COMAC’s new widebodies may hang on the attitudes of foreign watchdogs, with the company unable to rely solely on domestic long-haul travel.
