China must solve its jet engine puzzle to challenge Airbus, Boeing
A brief US ban on jet engine exports left Comac far short of its C919 delivery targets, showing China's dependence on GE-Safran engines amid trade tensions
 "China must solve its jet engine puzzle to challenge Airbus, Boeing")
By Juliana Liu
China has never been shy about its commercial aviation ambitions. For decades, it has wanted to be the “C” in the ABCs of aerospace after Airbus SE and Boeing Co. But to achieve that goal, it must solve an engineering puzzle that only a handful of companies have ever cracked: building a reliable jet engine.
The risks of not doing so are evident — 2025 was supposed to have been the year that Commercial Aircraft Corp of China Ltd., a state-owned aerospace manufacturer leading the self-sufficiency push, finally proved itself to be a potential contender. After delivering just 12 of its flagship C919 single-aisle jets in 2024, it announced an amped up schedule last March: 75 planes.
But in May, after Beijing angered Washington by restricting overseas sales of rare-earth minerals, the US retaliated by suspending the export of jet engines. And even though the ban was lifted weeks later following a truce, the damage was done. Comac ended up delivering only 15 of the C919 in 2025. That was 80 per cent short of the original target that was later cut to 25. The plane maker relies on engines produced by CFM International, a joint venture between GE Aerospace and Safran SA.
Comac isn’t the sole manufacturer caught up in the aviation supply-chain snafu — a reality bemoaned by visitors at the Singapore Airshow, which ended on Sunday. Since the pandemic, Airbus and Boeing have struggled to deliver new jets, even as demand for air travel reached record highs. Both are experiencing unprecedented multi-year backlogs for their aircraft.
With more than 1,000 preliminary orders for the C919, Comac is working through its own backlog. Last year’s tussle with Washington has vindicated a longstanding push by Aero Engine Corporation of China, or AECC, to create a homegrown engine for the aircraft. The initiative is at the center of China’s effort to make industrial giants the new pillar of the economy after the collapse of the property sector.
The propulsion system called the CJ-1000A began development in 2007. A model was shown publicly for the first time in 2011. While not much information is available, one of the godfathers of China’s commercial aviation effort, Zhang Yanzhong, gave a rare update last August on state broadcaster CCTV. He struck a positive note, telling viewers to be patient because engines take about 20 years to develop and mature.
The technology is on track to secure a key airworthiness certification from China’s aviation regulator — a process that could take up to two years, according to Li Hanming, an independent aviation expert. After that, the approved system must be installed in a C919 aircraft and tested again in a review that could take another two years. That means the engine, which is intended to replace the Leap 1-C from CFM International, would be commercially available by 2030 at the earliest.
Officials are said to be extremely cautious and moving slowly to certify the most complex and expensive part of any plane. That’s the right strategy given the numerous problems that have bedeviled even the most-experienced manufacturers. Three years ago, aircraft-engine maker Pratt & Whitney of RTX Corp. disclosed a manufacturing defect necessitating inspections of hundreds of engines that will stretch on for years.
Plane engines are exceptionally difficult to make because they must handle high pressure and heat while creating enough thrust to fly. But having consistent access to supply is crucial for Comac to live up to its ambitions.
According to aviation market intelligence and advisory firm IBA, the plane maker is expected to deliver a total of 86 C919s in 2030, assuming it is still using Western engines. Though that would demonstrate significant growth compared to last year, it's far short of the 240 or so annual deliveries — about 20 a month — needed to become a meaningful threat to Airbus and Boeing. It’s hard to see how that can be achieved without a plentiful supply of homegrown engines and other parts.
Last week, US President Donald Trump promised to keep American airplane engine sales flowing in a call with his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping. But despite the bonhomie, the relationship is fragile. Tensions could flare at any time. Against this backdrop, AECC should redouble its efforts to commercialize an engine for the C919 if it wants to be a credible player taking on the commercial aviation duopoly.