Дизайн узкофюзеляжных самолетов

PARIS 2025

COMMERCIAL AVIATION

> ELEVEN FRAMES ARE TO BE ADDED TO THE LARGER 0919 VERSION > THE FIRST 0929 WIDEBODY SERVICE ENTRY IS NOW EXPECTED MUCH LATER THAN INITIALLY PLANNED

Jens Flottau

Le Bourget

Chinese airframer Comac is lining up several more commercial airliners to enter service but has no plans to develop a supersonic jet.

Among the additional offerings are two more versions of the C919, followed by the twin-aisle C929 and then the high-capacity C939, which would be a direct competitor to the Boeing 777X.

Comac’s initial focus will be on derivatives of the C919, according to a company official who shared an update at the Paris Air Show. A shortened version of the C919 for use in hot and high conditions, with seating for up to 160 passengers, should be next to enter service in 2028. Its first flight is planned for 2027. The aircraft is designed to be six frames shorter than the baseline C919, 17 of which are in service with the three biggest Chinese airlines, Air China, China Southern and China Eastern.

A stretched variant is planned to enter service in 2030 with 11 more frames than the standard C919 and a maximum capacity of 240 seats, as compared with the yet-to-be-certified maximum of 192 for the baseline aircraft. Comac plans to add a second overwing emergency exit and a full size door between the over wing exits and the rear to ensure it meets evacuation limits.

The manufacturer has yet to secure government funding for the stretched C919, but the shortened variant has already been approved.

The stretched aircraft will have a range of 3,000 nm, essentially the same as the standard C919. Comac is targeting a cruise speed of Mach 0.78. The maximum takeoff weight (MTOW) will be 95 tons, according to the airframer’s display at the show, which will require a higher-thrust variant of the CEM International Leap-lC engine. Comae plans to add three fuel tanks ahead of and behind the main center tank.

The C929, meanwhile, is slated for service entry by 2035, significantly behind initial plans made when it was still a joint project with Russia. As with the stretched C919, Comac still needs government approval to unlock funding for the C929.

China’s first twin-aisle jet is now designed to carry 282 passengers in a standard layout over a maximum of 6,500 nm. Like the Boeing 787, the C929 is expected to offer nine-abreast seating in economy class. Its MTOW is currently planned to be 247.5 tons, compared with 228 tons for the Boeing 787-8 and 254.7 tons for the 787-9. The 787-8 has a range of 7,300 nm, whereas the -9 flies up to 7,565 nm, according to Boeing.

The C929 is slated to be followed by the C939, which Comae aims to position as a competitor to the Boeing 777X. A service entry date and further technical details have not yet been made public. No supersonic aircraft appears to be planned, even in the longer term.