Chinese Aviation Industry

I think the core issue will be price. Just how cheap will C919 be? If it is the rumored $70 million which is floating around the internet, I think it just might be too expensive to be even considered by developing countries. The Airbus A320 is between $74~$113 million, depending on configuration.
The Boeing 737NG is between $78~$99 million. The C919 has to be significantly cheaper to be competitive, because it carries the stigma of "Made in China".

Some other sources also rumored the price would be $32~46 million for the C919, and I think that's a fair price, and would definitely received well in the market. But I have my doubts they can make C919 that cheap considering J-10 and JF-17 cost around that ($32 million) for significantly smaller airframes (I KNOW I KNOW! they are completely different types of aircraft, different class and different roles! ).

Ultra said:

. The C919 has to be significantly cheaper to be competitive, because it carries the stigma of "Made in China".

Click to expand...

Tell that to Turkey who chose the Chinese made HQ-9 missile defense system over the other competitors because of it's quality and reasonable price before the US and other NATO members started whining and complaining about it. That so call "made in China stigma" came mostly from media naysayers, doubters, and haters who doesn't want to see China succeed.

Blackstone said:

I see Nigeria, Iran, and some ASEAN countries buying the ARJ21 and the C919, after a few years of spotless records by domestic Chinese airlines. Indeed, the ARJ21 should sell well in developing countries, especially after it passes FAA certification. C919 could build on ARJ21's success and do just as well.

Click to expand...

The ARJ-21 wasn't much of a success, though. If the Chinese want to sell their aircraft against well-established manufacturers like Airbus, Boeing, or Bombardier, they are going to have to dish out some selling points like an extremely low price, stringless deals, or ToT.

Equation said:

Tell that to Turkey who chose the Chinese made HQ-9 missile defense system over the other competitors because of it's quality and reasonable price before the US and other NATO members started whining and complaining about it. That so call "made in China stigma" came mostly from media naysayers, doubters, and haters who doesn't want to see China succeed.

Click to expand...

To be honest, a major aspect of the HQ-9 deal that attracted customers was its ToT, its relatively lax purchase policy (i.e. no strings attached), and likely its price as well. That isn't to say that its capabilities weren't a benefactor in its rumored selection by Ankara, though.

China's howitzers that have been exported to Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Algeria should leave no doubt about its quality. People who know their stuff are not so quick to tar Chinese quality with a broad brush.

t2contra said:

China's howitzers that have been exported to Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Algeria should leave no doubt about its quality. People who know their stuff are not so quick to tar Chinese quality with a broad brush.

Click to expand...

To play the devil's advocate, wouldn't you say that evaluating the quality of Chinese products based on howitzers alone is also broad-brushing in a sense?

SinoSoldier said:

The ARJ-21 wasn't much of a success, though. If the Chinese want to sell their aircraft against well-established manufacturers like Airbus, Boeing, or Bombardier, they are going to have to dish out some selling points like an extremely low price, stringless deals, or ToT.

Click to expand...

In the United States, there are so many regional jets, other than Airbus and Boeing, flying around. I can not believe that many Embraer 145's, 170's and Canadia 50 70 seats Crj's.

The C919 is a lot more modern than the 737 or a320. Check back a few pages on my post on aluminium-Lithium. The C919 uses Al-Li and that alone should make it much lighter than its older competitors.
A C919 that is more fuel efficient than its competitors will help its sales.

China has to concentrate on the domestic market. Xiaomi was successful because of the domestic market. Now I read that domestic car companies are rising in the ranks in China because like Xiaomi they're offering the same features as Western cars but at a lesser price. The airliner industry is no different. If there are few incidents, the record speaks for itself.

Well, ARJ-21 just had not achieved much international success at this point. I guess that is a case of a new manufacturer working to build their brand name and customers confident; amount many other things.

I think if we ask seniors who are older than most of us here in this forum, they'll probably have a few stories or recollections of Airbus' history: about how much that household name had to struggle in its initial foray into the international scene. Probably also about how that company had its own followings of supporters and detractors, arguing for or against its survival or viability against a backdrop of the then dominating Boeing, McDonnell Douglas, Lockheed, etc.

We should consider ourselves lucky in witnessing COMAC's history in the making. Success or otherwise, it is still a very interesting time. Hats off those who dare to dream and take the challenges to achieve it.

Jovian