The Chinese planemaker COMAC is setting its sights on Saudi Arabia as a potential launchpad for its international aspirations, as the state-owned company intensifies efforts to sell its aircraft overseas and break into the passenger jet market dominated by Western manufacturers.
COMAC’s Chairman, Dongfeng He, visited Saudi Arabia for the first time this week, following a visit by a Saudi delegation to the company’s facilities in Shanghai in February, amid improving ties between the two major economies.
At an aviation conference in Riyadh on Tuesday, He stated, “COMAC envisions enhancing global connectivity and diversity by contributing to Saudi Arabia’s aviation transportation development.”
However, industry sources caution that COMAC still has a long way to go before making significant international inroads, especially without benchmark certifications from the United States or European Union, or more efficient aircraft.
Currently, COMAC’s planes operate almost exclusively within China and with one Indonesian airline. Founded in 2008, the company is actively seeking international customers.
COMAC has recently showcased its planes across Southeast Asia and is pursuing certification with Europe’s aviation regulator for its C919 narrow-body jet.
During His visit, Saudia Group, the owner of Saudia airline and budget carrier Flyadeal, invited COMAC to establish an assembly line in Jeddah, confirming a report in the UAE-based newspaper The National.
Saudia is also in talks with COMAC to better understand the C919 jet, although no decisions have been made yet.
Saudi Arabia is investing billions of dollars in its Vision 2030 plan to diversify its economy away from fossil fuels and develop a vibrant private sector, including a massive expansion in aviation with new airlines, jet orders, and plans for a massive international airport as it competes with its regional rival, the UAE, as a Gulf travel hub.
He stated that COMAC’s two operational planes, the C919 and ARJ21 regional jet, could serve Saudi Arabia’s growing domestic and regional flight market. “COMAC plans to enhance connectivity within a 2,000-km radius, spanning the Arabian Peninsula, the Middle East, Turkey, North Africa, and beyond,” he said, equivalent to approximately 1,200 miles.
COMAC also has ambitions to launch a long-haul wide-body plane, the C929, which He said could serve Saudi Arabia’s plans for an international hub. However, the program has faced delays, and the aircraft has yet to take flight.
As COMAC seeks to challenge the duopoly of Western plane makers Boeing and Airbus, its ARJ21 regional jet entered service in 2016 and flies within China and with Indonesian carrier TransNusa. The C919 single-aisle began carrying passengers in May 2023 and is currently only certified within China.