PHNOM PENH (Bloomberg): Commercial Aircraft Corp of China Ltd. is making overtures to airlines from Indonesia to Kazakhstan, according to people familiar with the matter, as the planemaker seeks to secure its first international customers for its single-aisle C919 jet.
The charm offensive by Comac, as it’s better known, has seen executives hold talks with high-level airline officials including Garuda’s new CEO Wamildan Tsani Panjaitan, one of the people said, asking not to be identified because they’re not authorized to speak publicly.
Garuda is understood to be in the market for as many as 70 new aircraft and is also talking to Boeing Co. and Airbus SE, the two incumbents that control most of the supply of commercial jets for the global aviation market.
The prospects of Comac securing orders for its C919 plane have risen with worsening aircraft delivery delays - exacerbated by supply-chain issues and at Boeing, a production halt due to a major worker strike - as demand for many Boeing and Airbus models are sold out until the end of the decade.
Comac has also recently engaged with Kazakhstan’s SCAT Airlines and Angkor Air in Cambodia, and has lobbied the Indonesian government to secure a marque deal, the people said. It was to have a large presence at the Bali International Air Show in September but ultimately didn’t show up, one person said.
Representatives for Comac didn’t respond to a request for comment. Garuda, SCAT Airlines and Angkor Air also didn’t respond to requests for comment. Angkor Air counts Chinese company Xing Gang Investment Group as a shareholder.
Indonesia represents a big opportunity for Comac and the new administration, led by President Prabowo Subianto, is keen to revitalize Garuda, the nation’s loss-making flag carrier, and expand its international route network, people familiar with the government’s thinking said.
More broadly, Indonesia has strong economic ties with China, which is its biggest trading partner and has a stranglehold on the nickel processing sector. Prabowo’s recent visit to China has also kicked off a variety of trade deals.
Comac has also recently opened sales offices in Hong Kong and Singapore. It opened its first overseas customer service office in Jakarta in 2023.
A broader presence will help Comac but the planemaker, whose C919 jet competes directly with Airbus’s A320 and Boeing’s 737 aircraft, will still face an uphill battle when it comes to maintenance and repair operations outside of mainland China.
Boeing and Airbus have a network of sales and maintenance facilities around the world as well as supply chain and spare parts support at virtually every airport globally.
The C919 also currently isn’t certified by other nations’ safety regulators, meaning it can’t fly commercially outside of China.
Vietnam Airlines JSC CEO Le Hong Ha said in November that he would consider a C919 order if it was certified. VietJet in late December signed a lease contract for two of Comac’s smaller C909 aircraft beginning in 2025, according to local media reports.
The C909 was recently renamed from the ARJ-21 to better align with Comac’s planned family of aircraft, which also includes a wide-body C929.
Comac’s willingness to find buyers means it is offering generous terms including helping to finance entire plane orders and offering to upgrade airport infrastructure, one of the people said.
Local Chinese media reported that 2024 has been a good year for Comac. The planemaker has secured 330 orders for its C919 and C909 jets, and delivered 50 aircraft to customers, Yicai said, citing a Comac executive.
--With assistance from Harry Suhartono and Nariman Gizitdinov. -- ©2024 Bloomberg L.P.
