Latest news with #ChenYong
Yahoo
08-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
China wants to challenge Airbus and Boeing and shake up global aviation. Here's what you need to know about its upstart planemaker, Comac.
Comac, China's state-owned planemaker, has huge ambitions to disrupt Boeing and Airbus' hold on aviation. Its main plane, the C919, is a direct competitor to the Boeing 737 and Airbus A320. While it faces obstacles like tariffs, many industry leaders see Comac as a major threat. For decades, the building of the world's commercial passenger planes has been a duopoly. Get an international flight anywhere in the world, and it's highly likely you'll be on either an Airbus or a Boeing plane. A Chinese upstart planemaker, Comac, wants to disrupt that, and the signs suggest it has a good chance. Airbus CEO Guillaume Faury has even said the industry could go "from a duopoly to a potential triopoly." Officially known as the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China, the planemaker was only founded in 2008, and has not been without challenges and controversy. But with air travel growing rapidly in China and supply chain problems blighting the aviation industry globally, Comac's rise comes at a perfect time. Eight years after its foundation, Comac's first plane entered commercial service. Initially known as the ARJ21, it was later renamed the C909 to unify the company's branding, a sign of Comac's growing ambitions. Data from Ch-aviation says 145 of these have been delivered to airlines, mostly based in China and a few in Southeast Asia. The plane's chief designer, Chen Yong, told the state news agency Xinhua that 166 are in service. The C909 is a small jet, with a capacity of between 78 and 90 seats. Designed for regional journeys, it's more likely to compete with planes from the Brazilian manufacturer Embraer. Comac's more important aircraft is instead the C919, which is similar to Airbus' A320 family and Boeing's 737. It's another single-aisle aircraft but has a longer range and can carry between 156 and 168 passengers. Due to the huge demand from airlines, these types of jets have been significant cash cows for Airbus and Boeing. While Ch-aviation data indicates just 19 C919s have entered commercial service, that number is expected to grow massively. In 2023, Comac Chairman He Dongfeng said there were 1,061 orders, Xinhua reported. Europe's biggest airline, the Irish budget carrier Ryanair, is also considering buying some. "The Chinese are basically building a fucking A320. So if it was cheap enough — 10% or 20% cheaper than an Airbus aircraft — then we'd order it," CEO Michael O'Leary told travel industry outlet Skift in March. However, Florian Guillermet, executive director of the European Union Aviation Safety Agency, told French publication L'Usine Nouvelle in May that certification is still three to six years away. Plus, the state-owned planemaker isn't without its controversy. US Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi, the ranking member of the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, warned O'Leary not to order the jets, citing allegations of corporate espionage. In February, 66-year-old Liming Li, from California, pleaded guilty to possessing trade secrets he downloaded from his former US employer, which specialized in precision measuring. Court documents say FBI agents saw emails with Comac staff and presentations for the company. Other cases have charged Chinese intelligence officers and hackers with attempting to steal technology about American jet engines, according to the Justice Department. Donald Trump's tariff plan has also posed a significant threat because the C919 heavily relies on American parts. According to analysts at Bank of America, it has 48 suppliers from the US, 26 from Europe, and just 14 from China. "If China stops buying aircraft components from the US, the C919 program is halted or dead," they wrote in an April report. But ongoing negotiations suggest trade tensions are easing. The Air Current and Reuters reported earlier in July that the US government has allowed GE Aerospace to restart vital engine shipments to Comac. Beyond the C919, Comac is already working on three other types of jets. That includes two wide-bodies, the C929 and the C939, and a supersonic airliner, the C949. Meanwhile, the industry is divided over whether Comac will be able to challenge Airbus and Boeing's dominance. "Comac is years away from being certified outside China … It's going to be a very limited market for quite some time," John Schmidt, Accenture's global aerospace and defense lead, told Business Insider in an interview at last month's Paris Air Show. Alternatively, Airbus CEO Faury said in February that Comac was more likely to succeed thanks to its "privileged access" to the Chinese market, which accounts for a fifth of global aircraft demand. Guillermet told L'Usine Nouvelle that Comac was putting considerable resources into Europe's certification process. "I have no doubt that it will succeed," he added. Read the original article on Business Insider
Business Insider
08-07-2025
- Business
- Business Insider
China wants to challenge Airbus and Boeing and shake up global aviation. Here's what you need to know about its upstart planemaker, Comac.
For decades, the building of the world's commercial passenger planes has been a duopoly. Get an international flight anywhere in the world, and it's highly likely you'll be on either an Airbus or a Boeing plane. A Chinese upstart planemaker, Comac, wants to disrupt that, and the signs suggest it has a good chance. Airbus CEO Guillaume Faury has even said the industry could go "from a duopoly to a potential triopoly." Officially known as the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China, the planemaker was only founded in 2008, and has not been without challenges and controversy. But with air travel growing rapidly in China and supply chain problems blighting the aviation industry globally, Comac 's rise comes at a perfect time. Comac looks to challenge Airbus and Boeing's dominance Eight years after its foundation, Comac's first plane entered commercial service. Initially known as the ARJ21, it was later renamed the C909 to unify the company's branding, a sign of Comac's growing ambitions. Data from Ch-aviation says 145 of these have been delivered to airlines, mostly based in China and a few in Southeast Asia. The plane's chief designer, Chen Yong, told the state news agency Xinhua that 166 are in service. The C909 is a small jet, with a capacity of between 78 and 90 seats. Designed for regional journeys, it's more likely to compete with planes from the Brazilian manufacturer Embraer. Comac's more important aircraft is instead the C919, which is similar to Airbus' A320 family and Boeing's 737. It's another single-aisle aircraft but has a longer range and can carry between 156 and 168 passengers. Due to the huge demand from airlines, these types of jets have been significant cash cows for Airbus and Boeing. While Ch-aviation data indicates just 19 C919s have entered commercial service, that number is expected to grow massively. In 2023, Comac Chairman He Dongfeng said there were 1,061 orders, Xinhua reported. Europe's biggest airline, the Irish budget carrier Ryanair, is also considering buying some. "The Chinese are basically building a fucking A320. So if it was cheap enough — 10% or 20% cheaper than an Airbus aircraft — then we'd order it," CEO Michael O'Leary told travel industry outlet Skift in March. However, Florian Guillermet, executive director of the European Union Aviation Safety Agency, told French publication L'Usine Nouvelle in May that certification is still three to six years away. Plus, the state-owned planemaker isn't without its controversy. Trade secrets and tariffs US Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi, the ranking member of the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, warned O'Leary not to order the jets, citing allegations of corporate espionage. In February, 66-year-old Liming Li, from California, pleaded guilty to possessing trade secrets he downloaded from his former US employer, which specialized in precision measuring. Court documents say FBI agents saw emails with Comac staff and presentations for the company. Other cases have charged Chinese intelligence officers and hackers with attempting to steal technology about American jet engines, according to the Justice Department. Donald Trump's tariff plan has also posed a significant threat because the C919 heavily relies on American parts. According to analysts at Bank of America, it has 48 suppliers from the US, 26 from Europe, and just 14 from China. "If China stops buying aircraft components from the US, the C919 program is halted or dead," they wrote in an April report. But ongoing negotiations suggest trade tensions are easing. The Air Current and Reuters reported earlier in July that the US government has allowed GE Aerospace to restart vital engine shipments to Comac. Comac's future Beyond the C919, Comac is already working on three other types of jets. That includes two wide-bodies, the C929 and the C939, and a supersonic airliner, the C949. Meanwhile, the industry is divided over whether Comac will be able to challenge Airbus and Boeing's dominance. "Comac is years away from being certified outside China … It's going to be a very limited market for quite some time," John Schmidt, Accenture's global aerospace and defense lead, told Business Insider in an interview at last month's Paris Air Show. Alternatively, Airbus CEO Faury said in February that Comac was more likely to succeed thanks to its "privileged access" to the Chinese market, which accounts for a fifth of global aircraft demand. Guillermet told L'Usine Nouvelle that Comac was putting considerable resources into Europe's certification process. "I have no doubt that it will succeed," he added.
Yahoo
03-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
China's upstart planemaker hails 'breakthrough' in its plan to take on Boeing and Airbus
China's first passenger jet, the Comac C909, celebrated nine years since its maiden flight. Air China launched its first international service with the type on Tuesday. It's another sign of Comac's growing ambitions to cut into the Airbus-Boeing duopoly. Chinese homegrown planemaker Comac is one step closer to challenging Boeing and Airbus. Comac's C909, the planemaker's first jet, is designed for regional journeys, with a capacity between 78 and 90 seats. That makes it smaller than any jet currently produced by Airbus or Boeing, instead likelier to compete with those built by the Brazilian manufacturer Embraer. It attracts less attention than the larger C919 — a similar model to the Boeing 737 and Airbus A320 — but is still a key part of Comac's ambitions. As Saturday marked nine years since the C909's maiden flight, China's official state news agency Xinhua interviewed the jet's chief designer, Chen Yong. He called it "a pioneer in my country's commercial aircraft field," adding that it achieved "a breakthrough" by being China's first commercial aircraft. Tuesday then saw flag carrier Air China launch its first international service with the C909. A water-cannon salute greeted the plane as it landed in the Mongolian capital of Ulaanbaatar after a 90-minute journey from Hohhot, in China's north. "We look forward to it continuing to write the pride of domestic aircraft in the future," the airline said in a post on Weibo. That came after Lao Airlines, the flag carrier of Laos, leased two C909s from Comac and started operations in April, Xinhua reported. Later that month, Vietnam's VietJet also leased two of the jets from Chengdu Airlines, launching daily flights between Ho Chi Minh City and the nearby Con Dao archipelago. These are promising developments for the small jet, which Comac renamed from the ARJ21 last November, unifying its brand in a sign of growing ambitions. However, only 166 such planes have been delivered, Chen said. The plane also looks very similar to the McDonnell Douglas MD-80. One of Comac's predecessor companies partnered with the American planemaker in the 1980s. Meanwhile, Comac has faced allegations of corporate espionage over the C919. In 2022, a Chinese intelligence officer, Yanjun Xu, was sentenced to 20 years in prison after a US jury found him guilty of trying to steal technology related to GE Aviation's engines. The aviation industry remains divided on Comac's chances of competing with the likes of Boeing and Airbus. "Comac is years away from being certified outside China … It's going to be a very limited market for quite some time," John Schmidt, Accenture's aerospace and defense lead, told Business Insider in an interview at last month's Paris Air Show. Airbus CEO Guillaume Faury said in February that the sector could go "from a duopoly to a potential triopoly." He added that Comac was more likely to succeed thanks to its "privileged access" to the Chinese market, which accounts for a fifth of global aircraft demand. Read the original article on Business Insider Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Business Insider
03-07-2025
- Business
- Business Insider
China's upstart planemaker hails 'breakthrough' in its plan to take on Boeing and Airbus
China's first homegrown passenger jet is picking up steam as the planemaker Comac builds a foothold to compete with aviation's big players. The Comac C909 is designed for regional journeys, with a capacity between 78 and 90 seats. That makes it smaller than any jet currently produced by Airbus or Boeing, instead likelier to compete with those built by the Brazilian manufacturer Embraer. It attracts less attention than the larger C919 — a similar model to the Boeing 737 and Airbus A320 — but is still a key part of Comac's ambitions. As Saturday marked nine years since the C909's maiden flight, China's official state news agency Xinhua interviewed the jet's chief designer, Chen Yong. He called it "a pioneer in my country's commercial aircraft field," adding that it achieved "a breakthrough" by being China's first commercial aircraft. Tuesday then saw flag carrier Air China launch its first international service with the C909. A water-cannon salute greeted the plane as it landed in the Mongolian capital of Ulaanbaatar after a 90-minute journey from Hohhot, in China's north. "We look forward to it continuing to write the pride of domestic aircraft in the future," the airline said in a post on Weibo. That came after Lao Airlines, the flag carrier of Laos, leased two C909s from Comac and started operations in April, Xinhua reported. Later that month, Vietnam's VietJet also leased two of the jets from Chengdu Airlines, launching daily flights between Ho Chi Minh City and the nearby Con Dao archipelago. These are promising developments for the small jet, which Comac renamed from the ARJ21 last November, unifying its brand in a sign of growing ambitions. However, only 166 such planes have been delivered, Chen said. The plane also looks very similar to the McDonnell Douglas MD-80. One of Comac's predecessor companies partnered with the American planemaker in the 1980s. Meanwhile, Comac has faced allegations of corporate espionage over the C919. In 2022, a Chinese intelligence officer, Yanjun Xu, was sentenced to 20 years in prison after a US jury found him guilty of trying to steal technology related to GE Aviation's engines. The aviation industry remains divided on Comac's chances of competing with the likes of Boeing and Airbus. "Comac is years away from being certified outside China … It's going to be a very limited market for quite some time," John Schmidt, Accenture's aerospace and defense lead, told Business Insider in an interview at last month's Paris Air Show. Airbus CEO Guillaume Faury said in February that the sector could go "from a duopoly to a potential triopoly." He added that Comac was more likely to succeed thanks to its "privileged access" to the Chinese market, which accounts for a fifth of global aircraft demand.
Yahoo
24-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Asia's Largest Offshore Converter Undergoes Scheduled Comprehensive Maintenance and Returns to Service
RUDONG, China, June 24, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- On June 20, 2025, the ±400 kV Huangshayang Converter Station, Asia's largest offshore converter station located in Rudong, Jiangsu Province, China, successfully completed scheduled comprehensive maintenance and returned to service. The maintenance enhances the reliability of offshore wind power transmission, ensuring stable power supply during the peak summer demand period. The seven-day maintenance operation covered three offshore sites—the ±400 kV Huangshayang Converter Station, the 220 kV Xiatong and Xiaru Step-up Stations—as well as the onshore ±400 kV Lvgu Converter Station. The Huangshayang facility, the world's largest offshore flexible DC converter station by capacity and voltage class, serves as the central hub for aggregating wind power from three offshore wind farms in Rudong, with a total installed capacity of 1.1 gigawatts (GW). Chen Yong, Director of the Maintenance Department at Jiangsu Power Transmission and Transformation Company, said, "With an annual power output of 3.3 billion kWh, the station accounts for nearly 10% of Jiangsu's offshore wind power capacity, enough to offset about 5% of the province's peak summer demand shortfall." To ensure a smooth operation, a professional team of over 100 personnel from the company performed a full-spectrum inspection of high-voltage primary and secondary systems, converter valves, thermal management infrastructure, and other mission-critical components. The team successfully executed 312 maintenance tasks across all four sites. As the three offshore sites are located nearly 70 kilometers from the coast, coordinating of personnel, equipment and supplies posed a major logistical challenge. Wang Xiangjun, the project leader, explained that the team adopted a "dynamic grid management" approach, assigning tasks to designated individuals for real-time progress monitoring and closed-loop quality assurance. During execution, the team combined aerial pivoting and segmented positioning techniques to achieve millimeter-grade alignment in the installation of large equipment, addressing the spatial constraints of the offshore converter platform. View original content: SOURCE Jiangsu Power Transmission and Transformation Company
