At the 2024 National Manufacturing Power Construction Expert Forum and the First Industrial Base Innovation and Development Conference held recently, Wu Guanghui, academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and chief scientist of China Commercial Aircraft Corporation Limited, introduced the progress of domestically produced large aircraft.
“There are currently three domestic large aircraft, among which C909 and C919 have entered the mass production stage, and C929 is under development.” Academician Wu Guanghui introduced that at the Zhuhai Air Show not long ago, the original ARJ21 regional aircraft was renamed C909. It is not just a simple new commercial name, but improvements have been made in many aspects of aircraft performance.
C919 is a trunk aircraft with a maximum range of 5,555 kilometers. 13 aircraft have been delivered, 14 routes have been opened, a total of more than 10,000 hours of flight, and 720,000 passengers have been carried. C929 is an intercontinental aircraft that can fly across the ocean and is under development. “After C919 was put on the market, it received support from many passengers, and the passenger load factor was significantly higher than other aircraft.”
Academician Wu Guanghui also said that from C909 to C919 and then to C929, my country’s large aircraft industry has always been based on independence and insisted on international cooperation. 24 provinces and cities, more than 1,000 units, and more than 300,000 people participated in the research, while 23 countries and regions and more than 500 suppliers participated in the research. International cooperation has not only driven the development of China’s aviation industry, but also the development of the world’s aviation industry.
Academician Wu Guanghui agrees with the view that 2024 is the first year of China’s low-altitude economy. He believes that the research and development and manufacturing of low-altitude aircraft are the same as large aircraft. The formation foundation of the large aircraft industry can serve the low-altitude economy, and the low-altitude economy can also be the basis of large aircraft. The two complement each other and drive each other.
“The coordinated development of large aircraft and low-altitude economy will be a long-term process. There are many scenarios and opportunities in the future, including the introduction of artificial intelligence and management improvements are gradually being carried out.” Academician Wu Guanghui said that at the same time, challenges continue to exist, the industry will be further integrated, the management mechanism has not been fully established, and key technologies still need to be tackled, especially the safety situation is not optimistic and the environmental protection pressure is also great.
“Large aircraft and low-altitude economy are patient economies and patient industries. Although the road is still long, we must remain patient, consistent, persevering, solid and down-to-earth, and we must have ambitious goals,” said Academician Wu Guanghui.
