Suppliers to Boeing, Airbus Help Chinese Aircraft Manufacturer Compete Against Them

At a recent air show in Zhuhai, China, two women in red flight attendant uniforms welcomed visitors to a mock-up of a new narrowbody jet that will seat up to 150 people and have its maiden flight in 2014. The plane is the C919, designed by state-owned Commercial Aircraft Corp. of China (Comac) to grab a piece of the passenger jet market from Airbus and Boeing. "The interior is clean and bright, not a bad feel," says Jennifer Huo, a 34-year-old public-relations executive from Shanghai. "I feel proud that China can come up with such a plane."

One reason that China can come up with such a plane is that the companies that supply Boeing and Airbus are working with Comac as well.

Read Full Article