COMAC Expands International Presence

By Lisa Barrington
SEOUL (Reuters) – Chinese planemaker COMAC opened its second office outside mainland China this week in Hong Kong, aiming to enter the global passenger jet market dominated by Western manufacturers.

COMAC's two commercial passenger planes are primarily operated within China, with the exception of one Indonesian airline. The company seeks to expand overseas as leaders Airbus and Boeing struggle to meet high demand.

The launch of the COMAC Customer Service Hong Kong Office follows the inauguration of COMAC's Asia-Pacific office in Singapore earlier this week, marking efforts to enhance its international reach.

Li Ling, COMAC's deputy general manager, noted that the Hong Kong office is a significant move in the firm's international strategy. "COMAC looks forward to working hand in hand with all parties to strengthen exchanges with the aviation industry in Hong Kong and Southeast Asia with a more open attitude," Li stated.

Hong Kong, a special administrative region of China, has its own civil aviation regulator. Currently, no COMAC planes operate in Hong Kong or have been ordered by local airlines, though there have been two demonstration flights of COMAC's C919 jet in the city over the past year.

Additionally, COMAC signed a memorandum of understanding with the Hong Kong-based aircraft maintenance group HAECO to enhance collaboration in airframe, engine, and component services. HAECO is owned by the Hong Kong conglomerate Swire Pacific, the largest shareholder of Cathay Pacific Airways.

"The MOU will enable the two parties to jointly deliver more comprehensive support towards COMAC's domestic and international customers," stated HAECO, which collaborates with COMAC in mainland China.

COMAC aims to ramp up production and sales of its C919 narrow-body passenger jet, which competes with Boeing’s 737 MAX and Airbus' A320neo families, with plans for larger, wide-body models in the future.

Despite these efforts, industry sources indicate that COMAC faces challenges in making international progress, particularly without certifications from the European Union or the United States, which it is pursuing for the C919.

COMAC previously established a U.S. office in California in 2010 and a European office in Paris in 2011 during earlier attempts for international cooperation and certification. Their current statuses remain unclear.