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COMAC signals C929 wide-body will still use foreign

suppliers

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US restricting exports of engines to COMAC, sources say

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Chinese exhibitor presence at Paris Airshow doubles this

year

By Lisa Barrington and Giulia Segreti

PARIS, June 19 (Reuters) - China's COMAC signed deals

with two Western suppliers for a planned twin-aisle plane at the

Paris Airshow this week, signalling it still intends to use

foreign parts on its jets despite U.S. moves to restrict

component exports.

In its trade war with Beijing, Washington this month

restricted exports to China of some U.S.-made aerospace parts,

including engines that COMAC uses on its C919 narrow-body and

C909 regional jets, sources told Reuters.

That underscores a key vulnerability of China's jet-building

programme, where major elements of the designs use foreign

parts.

State-owned COMAC wants to compete internationally against

Airbus and Boeing ( BA ), and is seeking customers

abroad and ramping up production. But its jets currently operate

largely within China and lack certification from key foreign

regulators in Europe and the United States.

In addition to COMAC's two planes already in commercial

operation, the C919 and C909, the firm is designing a C929

wide-body aircraft to take on the Boeing 787 and Airbus A350.

U.S. manufacturer Crane Aerospace & Electronics said

at the Paris Airshow that it would supply the C929's door signal

system, which COMAC confirmed. A Crane door signal system is

used on the C919.

COMAC said it also signed a memorandum of understanding with

French aerospace firm Safran for the C929, which an

industry source said covered systems including braking control,

tyre pressure, oxygen and icing detection.

Safran, a partner of GE on the CFM engines used on

the C919, did not disclose details of the agreement.

Flag carrier Air China will be the first

customer for the C929, designed to seat 282 to 440 people, the

planemaker said in November.

In a bid to break into foreign markets, COMAC has been

focussing on Southeast Asia. It has sold C909s to airlines in

Indonesia, Vietnam and Laos, whose governments permit their

airlines to operate Chinese-certified planes.

Tony Fernandes, CEO of Capital A Group, the owner

of Malaysia-based AirAsia, said he was still talking with COMAC

about a potential order for C919s, though trade tensions between

China and the U.S. remain a possible obstacle.

Europe's aviation regulator said in April that it needed

between three and six years to certify the C919.

MAKING FRIENDS

Beijing is investing huge sums in developing a home-grown

aerospace industry, with the long-term aim to steadily replace

foreign-made parts.

China has had a civil commercial jet engine, the CJ-1000, in

the works for many years, with the aim of replacing the LEAP-1C

engine that powers the C919.

Little is known about the engine, though footage appeared on

Chinese social media in early 2023 of what appeared to be a

CJ-1000 engine being tested on a Chinese military transport

aircraft.

At the Paris Airshow, COMAC displayed its expanding range of

plane models, including a business jet version of the C909,

which industry sources expect to enter service soon.

There was no trace of the larger long-haul C939 plane that

COMAC has said it intends to develop.

At this year's show, the COMAC display was one of 76 by

companies from China, the world's second-largest aviation

market, more than double the number in 2023.

Smaller Chinese firms, some making their first visit to the

show, said they recognised the importance of showcasing their

products to tap the high-spending European market.

"In China, we have a good reputation, but we now want to

develop a global market. We are here because we think it's a

good moment," said first-time exhibitor Ojay Yuan, vice

president of Shenzhen-based machine tooling supplier Depu CNC.

"It's not a very good moment (to sell) to the U.S., given

the tariffs, so we prefer to work with Europe," he said.

Shanghai-based HanDao Tech also made its Paris debut.

Set up in 2021, the group manufactures engine systems and

components for the aerospace and gas turbine industry.

"We already supply hardware for bigger companies. But we

need to build a connection with this world, to show our

products, make friends and find the best opportunities," its

Chairman and CEO Patrick Wang said.