China’s Comac eyes Singapore, Hong Kong for overseas offices

Chinese planemaker Comac is considering opening its first offices in Asia outside of mainland China, people familiar with the matter said, as part of a push to help its C919 single-aisle jet gain traction overseas and better compete against aircraft from Airbus SE and Boeing Co.

Commercial Aircraft Corp of China Ltd. may make an announcement about an office in Hong Kong as soon as next month, one person said, asking not to be identified because they’re not authorized to speak publicly. The city is seen as an attractive option due to its familiarity and location, the person said, adding that Comac may make a commitment in late October around aircraft maintenance in Hong Kong as well. 

Comac is also exploring real estate options in Singapore, another person said. Suntec City, near to the city-state’s central business district, is being considered, although no firm decisions have been made, they said.

Representatives for Comac didn’t respond to a request for comment.

The moves are a step toward convincing foreign airlines to buy Comac’s C919 — a jet that competes directly with Airbus’s A320 and Boeing’s 737 aircraft. Those two incumbents have a network of sales and maintenance facilities around the world as well as supply chain and spare parts support at virtually every airport globally.

Comac meanwhile barely has any presence outside of China and so far, no overseas buyers of the C919, which also isn’t certified by other nations’ safety regulators and so can’t fly commercially outside of China either.

Hong Kong and Singapore were the first two international locations selected by Comac to showcase the C919. It presented the jet at the Singapore air show in February and conducted a low-altitude flyover of Hong Kong’s Victoria Harbour in December last year.

Having more of a presence outside of China would also allow Comac to be closer to the airlines in Southeast Asia that fly its smaller ARJ-21 jet, including TransNusa in Indonesia and, at a later date, Brunei’s GallopAir.

Comac has delivered nine C919 jets since its first in December 2022 to three Chinese carriers — China Eastern Airlines Co., Air China Ltd. and China Southern Airlines Co. Air China and China Southern received theirs in a joint delivery ceremony on Aug. 28.