Dubai: Is it time to look beyond Boeing, Airbus amid plane shortages, delays?

Flydubai chief welcomes China-made Comac's attempt to enter the passenger jet market

Angel Tesorero

Published: Tue 15 Oct 2024, 1:35 PM

Last updated: Tue 15 Oct 2024, 6:56 PM

The global aviation industry needs a third — or even a fourth — major manufacturer of passenger jets to address aircraft shortages and break the apparent duopoly of Airbus and Boeing, the CEO of Dubai-based carrier flydubai said at the inaugural Aviation Future Week that kicked off on Tuesday.

“Having another aircraft manufacturer is something very important to create competition and address the bottleneck and extensive delays in aircraft delivery schedules,” said Ghaith Al Ghaith, CEO at flydubai, during a panel discussion titled Optimising Traffic Demand in a Constrained Environment.

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Al Ghaith was asked if he welcomes the entry of Chinese-made Comac C919 in the market and he replied: “Having more competition is very good for our industry.”

KT Photo: Angel Tesorero

Back in July this year, flydubai said they were evaluating their “route development plans and potential frequency revision across the network due to a lack of new aircraft deliveries over the next few months".

The Dubai-based carrier noted: “The unpredictability of the aircraft delivery schedules from Boeing over the past few years has put significant pressure on the carrier and its ability to firmly plan for its projected growth.”

Meanwhile, China-made Comac is trying to break into a passenger jet market dominated by Airbus and Boeing — with the latter planning to cut 17,000 jobs of its global workforce following a month-long strike.

Currently, China’s flag carrier Air China, China Southern Airlines, and China Eastern Airlines are the only airlines that have added Comac C919 to their respective fleets.

Steady progress

Speaking to Khaleej Times after the forum, Adel Al Redha, deputy president and COO of Emirates Airlines, took note of the steady progress of Comac (Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China, Ltd.)

He said the Chinese aircraft manufacturer is “doing good progress. They have good range of airplanes from 200-passenger to about 350-passenger; from single aisle to twin-aisle. Comac is expanding inside and outside of China. In the long term, they will gain more customers.”

When asked if Emirates is considering ordering a passenger jet from Comac, Al Redha categorically stated that the Dubai-based carrier is “currently not evaluating a new aircraft” to add to its fleet.

Emirates have placed orders with Airbus and Boeing that are yet to be delivered.

Sharjah-based Air Arabia also have no plans yet to order aircraft from Comac. Tony Whitby, director for network and strategy at Air Arabia noted Comac is a potential competitor to Airbus and Boeing but the Chinese aircraft still needs to prove its operational performance.

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