【By Observer Net, Xiong Chaoran】 Recently, during the 42nd Assembly of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) in Montreal, Canada, Chris Ona Najomo, Director of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, told Reuters that as Nigeria Airways continues to receive more aircraft to expand its fleet, and with the continuous improvement of Sino-Nigerian relations, the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority is considering airworthiness certification for the domestically produced C919 large aircraft from China.

Reuters reported on September 28 local time that Najomo said the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority is considering initiating a lengthy airworthiness certification process for the C919, so that the aircraft can operate on domestic routes. However, he also mentioned that the C919 has not yet received verification from Western regulatory authorities. "We are studying the certification issue of this aircraft. First, this is where we need to start."

As a specialized agency of the United Nations, ICAO holds its assembly every three years. As early as October 2022, after the C919 received its type certificate from the China Civil Aviation Administration, the Nigerian Minister of Aviation had previously mentioned at that year's ICAO assembly that the country would consider purchasing the C919. This month, the Nigerian Minister of Aviation also stated that the country is willing to become a base for COMAC to enter a broader African market.

Chris Ona Najomo, Director of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, photo

According to reports, the C919 passenger aircraft produced by the Chinese aircraft manufacturer COMAC aims to compete with major Western aircraft manufacturers Airbus and Boeing, and has held multiple meetings with Nigeria around this model.

Nigeria, with a population of 230 million, is the most populous country in Africa and is seen as a huge potential aviation market.

A spokesperson for the Nigerian International Air Show told Reuters that COMAC plans to showcase an aircraft at the country's first international air show in December, but did not specify which model.

Chris Ona Najomo, Director of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, said that COMAC has proposed to provide maintenance and training support for aircraft operated by Nigeria Airways, and to explore what is called a "wet lease" arrangement, meaning leasing aircraft without providing flight crews.

"We just told them that if they can ensure a good 'wet lease' arrangement, that would be better," said Najomo.

Abdullahi Ahmed, CEO of NG Eagle, Nigeria Airways (established in May 2023), said the company is interested in expanding its current fleet of only three aircraft, and stated that if the COMAC passenger aircraft obtains airworthiness certification along with maintenance and training support, he would consider it.

Reuters mentioned that currently, COMAC also faces some challenges, as its two models have not yet received benchmark certification from Western regulatory authorities. Previously, due to trade disputes, the US had suspended the export of CFM engines used in the C919 to China this year.

On July 4, Reuters cited sources who said that the US government had notified General Electric Aviation the day before that it could resume exporting jet engines to COMAC. The report at the time described this as another sign of easing Sino-US trade tensions. At that time, the US also lifted restrictions on exporting chip design software and ethane to China, indicating progress in bilateral trade negotiations.

The C919 large passenger aircraft completed all airworthiness certification work in September 2022 and was awarded the type certificate by the China Civil Aviation Administration. The successful development of the C919 large passenger aircraft, obtaining the type certificate, marks that China has the capability to independently develop world-class large aircraft, and is an important milestone in the development of China's large aircraft industry.

The C919 is a large jet civilian aircraft developed independently by China according to international civil aviation regulations, with independent intellectual property rights, focusing on meeting the demand for large and medium capacity markets both domestically and internationally. Its direct competitors are the Airbus A320Neo and the Boeing B737Max. In terms of most performance indicators, the C919's list price is lower than that of the two competitors.

On November 2, 2015, the first prototype of the C919 large passenger aircraft was assembled and put into production, photo

Previously, Reuters believed that the C919 aircraft aims to challenge Western big aircraft giants, competing with Airbus and Boeing in single-aisle models. The report stated that it is still unclear when the C919 will obtain certification from the US or Europe, thereby opening the door to sales in most foreign markets. However, some industry analysts said that China may still need a long time to truly break the current "duopoly" of Airbus and Boeing.

Zhang Zhonglin, a columnist for Observer Net and a civil aviation worker, wrote an analysis stating that as long as the C919 obtains the airworthiness approval from either Europe or the US, it would achieve the main goal, since the EASA mark is as hard as that of the FAA. Moreover, even without an FAA or EASA airworthiness certificate, as long as the airworthiness certification by the CAAC is solid, and the civil aviation regulatory authority of the other country recognizes the CAAC's airworthiness certification, the C919 can still go overseas and operate flights in that country.

It should be noted that exporting to overseas markets is not the top priority for the C919. China currently has more than 4,000 civil aircraft, and there are more than 3,200 aircraft of the same level as the C919. This vast market's growth and replacement is sufficient for the C919 to shine. The main issue now is how to quickly increase the C919's production capacity to meet more orders.

This article is an exclusive article by Observer Net. Reproduction without permission is prohibited.

Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7555668107403133490/

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