In February, several carriers told Chinese financial-news outlet Caixin that the powerful State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission actually restricted seven state-owned airlines from steeply cutting prices on major routes.Īs a result, the private carriers are thriving. The government’s fingerprints appeared discernible. Part of the problem appears to be attributable to China’s slow crawl back after the pandemic to allowing overseas flights, which are mostly run by bigger carriers, while smaller competitors focus on domestic regional routes, according to public flight data.Ĭhina’s smaller private carriers also lowered their prices in the first quarter, while the state-owned giants generally did not. The “big three” state-owned players - Air ChinaĪlongside China Eastern - lost a combined 8.6 billion yuan ($1.2 billion) in this year’s first quarter, according to company filings. a country that appears keen to squeeze China’s ability to acquire high-level technology.Īdd to that the fact that financial struggles continue for China’s biggest carriers, including China Eastern, which will run the first daily route of the C919 between the cities of Chengdu and Shanghai. Moreover, many of its key parts are still produced in the West, mostly from the U.S. Not only is the aircraft a source of tremendous esteem for regular Chinese it is another sign that the country is moving up the industrial ladder toward assembling high-technology products, at a time of increasing concern from neighbors and Western countries that see China’s rise as a threat to geopolitical stability.īut getting the jet airborne wasn’t easy, with a slew of manufacturing setbacks that have made its production a 16-year slog. “I saw a lot of pride and joy, and I think folks see it as a milestone,” he told MarketWatch. Shanghai-based documentary maker Christian Petersen-Clausen was among the first foreign customers to ride on the C919, on a Tuesday flight, and said he was struck by the level of excitement at the airport, on the plane and online. In a video posted on Chinese social media, a man could be heard saying, “Look at that - beautiful,” while two fire trucks sprayed the airliner with water cannons in a celebratory welcome. Left Shanghai and arrived at Beijing’s Capital Airport two hours later, with state television streaming the event and observers gathered for the departure and arrival. The C919 flight last Sunday, run by China Eastern Airlines
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