On March 10, the COMAC C919 aircraft flew into Jakarta's Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Indonesia for the first time for a static display, which was aimed at launching a product promotion campaign for potential customers.
According to Hong Kong's South China Morning Post, Southeast Asia's fast-growing aviation market is set to become a battleground for the maker of China's domestically produced C919 airliners as it strives to move up the global supply chain, competing with Airbus and Boeing.
Demand for flights in Southeast Asia is expected to increase dramatically, making a strong case for the Chinese manufacturer to woo the region's airlines with a built-in product line and services.
"There is an untapped intra-Asian market in Southeast Asia that COMAC can break into with its C919, even though it will be competing with the likes of the Airbus A320 and Boeing 737 MAX," said Shukur Yusuf, an analyst at aviation industry consultancy Xinglou Analytics, according to the report. As part of a marketing campaign that began on Feb. 27, COMAC's C919 narrow-body airliner and ARJ21 regional airliner are conducting demonstration flights in Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Malaysia and Indonesia.
Although the C919's first overseas appearance at the Singapore Airshow brought quite a stir, analysts believe it is just the beginning and COMAC still needs to invest more in improving its service capabilities.
Andrew Charlton, managing director of an aviation industry consulting firm, said, "COMAC still needs time and more airplane products to get more orders."
Comprehensive Xinhua News Agency and China's CCTV News reported that COMAC's ARJ21 and C919 airplanes were put on static display at the hangar of Sukarno-Hatta International Airport in Indonesia's capital, Jakarta, on the 10th.
The C919 aircraft will be on static display in Indonesia for two days starting March 10, and COMAC will conduct product promotion activities for potential customers. After their first international appearance at the Singapore Airshow on February 25, the C919 and ARJ21 began a two-week demonstration flight to five countries in Southeast Asia.
The C919 and ARJ21 landed at Vietnam's Vung Tum International Airport in Quang Ninh Province on February 26, and after test flights, will be on static display at the airport on the 27th, followed by demonstrations at various locations in Vietnam. The two aircraft made their first flight to Vinh Chanh Vadai International Airport in Laos on March 3, and were on static display there on the 4th. After the trip to Laos, the C919 and ARJ21 flew into Phnom Penh International Airport in Cambodia on March 5th.
According to COMAC, the C919, a large passenger jet with 158 to 192 seats and a range of 4,075 to 5,555 kilometers, adopts advanced aerodynamic design, propulsion system and materials, with lower carbon emissions and higher fuel efficiency. On May 28 last year, the C919 aircraft completed its first commercial flight.The ARJ21 is a short- and medium-range regional aircraft developed by COMAC. The ARJ21 airliner, which has good takeoff and landing performance at high-temperature plateau airports and resistance to side winds, was put into commercial operation in June 2016, it was revealed.