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China staged a Middle East debut for its C919 jetliner with a flying display at the Dubai Airshow Monday, its first outside East Asia, as it showcases plans to compete with Airbus and Boeing.The C919 aircraft, in a white livery with blue and green details, took off at around 3:30pm local time (1130 GMT) and made a few circle rounds in the sky before landing safely on the Al-Maktoum international airport runway tarmac.Chinese planemaker Comac has ambitions to take on dominant Western manufacturers Airbus and Boeing as well as their smaller Brazilian rival Embraer.Its two existing plane models — the C909 and C919 — lack key certifications from Western regulators, however, and Comac is looking for alternative markets to help boost its profile.At the Airshow Monday, dozens of people lined up to see the C919 airplane parked at the venue alongside dozens of other aircraft. A pilot sat in its cockpit talking to visitors about his experience operating the plane.Comac is building plans for a family of aircraft.At its stand in the airshow's main exhibition hall, visitors took photos of a longer version of the C919 dubbed the Stretched Variant, which Comac said would seat 210 passengers and serve the Asia-Pacific region.The planned longer version takes aim at the Airbus A321neo and Boeing's upcoming 737 Max 10 — the top end of the single-aisle market where Airbus and Boeing are battling for the most hotly contested orders.On the tarmac, Comac also displayed its regional C909, which was China's first jet-engine-powered plane to reach commercial production and entered service in 2016.Neither model has won a major global customer so far.Comac also displayed materials outlining its planned C929 wide-body jet — originally co-developed with Russia and now driven solely by Comac — but with scarce technical details.Comac officials declined to comment on the company's presence at the airshow and said there were no media engagements planned.Comac said in a statement that it "remains committed to open cooperation and looks forward to building closer, stronger, and deeper relationships with global customers and partners." Gulf countries have strong ties with China, the biggest trading partner for both Saudi Arabia and the UAE, which have welcomed co-operation with Chinese firms in recent years, including in manufacturing, construction and technology.Analysts do not expect China to take a significant slice of the global jet market beyond deals with supportive countries any time soon but say its presence is a clear signal of its ambition to penetrate one of the last bastions of Western manufacturing.Boeing Commercial Airplanes CEO Stephanie Pope welcomed the arrival of Comac at one of the world's premier industry events but pledged to maintain an edge through continued innovation."Competition is great for the industry. It's great for Boeing. It makes us all better," she told Reuters.

Boeing Co delivered 57 commercial aircraft in August, its best performance for the month since 2018, in the latest sign of steadying factory operations as the US planemaker targets faster production rates.The tally, which included 43 of Boeing’s 737 family of jets, is the second-highest of the year and marks an uptick from July, according to data posted Tuesday on the company’s website. August’s results underscore Boeing’s recent improvements in stabilising its factories as the manufacturer prepares to ask regulators for permission to return output of the best-selling jet to pre-Covid levels.Gross orders for Boeing totalled 26 during the month against two cancellations. The company recorded 83 net orders, including those added to its backlog under a US accounting provision for at-risk deals. For the year, the US planemaker has landed 725 gross orders against 600 for Toulouse, France-based Airbus SE.Boeing has started to narrow an output gap with market leader Airbus that’s stood since the US manufacturer fell into a series of crises starting with the first of two fatal 737 Max crashes in late 2018. Through August, Boeing has delivered 385 jets this year to 434 for its European rival, which handed over 61 aircraft for the month.Since the beginning of 2024, Boeing’s output deficit to Airbus has narrowed by more than half, based on the average of trailing six-month deliveries, according to Jefferies analyst Sheila Kahyaoglu.Jefferies estimates of 6-month average gap in Boeing-Airbus deliveries.Boeing is sharing with US regulators a series of measures of the health of its production system ahead of a formal request to speed its 737 assembly lines to a pace of 42 jets per month, from the current cap of 38.The company has told airline customers it’s optimistic it will be able to raise rates by October, Ryanair Holdings Plc Chief Executive Officer Michael O’Leary told reporters on August 27.

Etihad Airways is exploring a novel way to get around persistent supply bottlenecks that have long bedevilled the aviation industry: buying components like seats in bulk and then storing them in a local warehouse until they’re needed.The Abu Dhabi flag carrier is undertaking a $1bn retrofit of its existing fleet because new aircraft are delayed. But matching the delivery of seats among the most complex cabin elements with the upgrade cycle of a plane could quickly prove impossible given suppliers have been notoriously unreliable in sticking to their schedules, Etihad Chief Executive Officer Antonoaldo Neves said.“I cannot just park five, six, seven planes and destroy my network just to retrofit the planes, it’s going to be too expensive,” Neves said in an interview in New York. “We say, look, give me all the seats to retrofit about 50 planes in three months and I store the seats, and use them when it doesn’t hurt my network to pull those planes out of service.”Etihad’s considerations show how the aviation industry is trying to navigate one of the biggest impediments to growth: slow delivery of aircraft. Airbus SE and Boeing Co have for years struggled to get their production lines back on track, held back by component shortages and quality lapses on the factory floors. That’s forcing carriers to fly older kit for longer and requiring costly maintenance or cabin upgrades to keep the jets fresh.Customers are still waiting for new jets like the Boeing 777X that is half a decade behind schedule. Airbus has also had trouble meeting delivery goals, while Boeing has started improving output again after years of upheaval.Emirates is spending $5bn refurbishing existing jets like the jumbo Airbus A380 and the Boeing 777 to bridge delays with new models on order, particularly from the US manufacturer. Those overhauls have also been tied up by delayed parts availability, forcing airlines to ground a number of aircraft, cancel flights or charter short-term capacity.Touching up the cabins with new seats has become an important marketing tool for carriers, particularly as more travellers migrate to more expensive seats like premium economy or business class. While economy class bookings are slower in some markets, Etihad is seeing continued demand for premium travel in key geographies such as the US, Europe and Middle East. That makes it harder for the airline to stand down planes, Neves said.Neves said it’s not just supply bottlenecks holding back output. Certification requirements by authorities like the Federal Aviation Administration and its counterpart, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency, are also causing delays that are increasingly affecting growth plans.“Certification has not improved, it’s a frustration,” Neves said. “Everything’s taking too long, we don’t have time for that, the customer cannot wait.”The airline reported record profit of 1.1bn dirhams ($306mn) for the first half of the year, driven by both passenger and cargo demand. While state-owned Etihad is ready for an initial public offering, the decision of whether and when to go public is in the hands of the shareholder, Neves said.As part of its plan to cash in on the continued demand for premium flying, the airline is bringing back two more Airbus A380 double decker jets, Neves said. The Etihad aircraft features the so-called Residence, a three-room layout featuring a double bed, living area and shower cubicle.Etihad had previously planned to permanently retire the four-engined behemoth for smaller, more nimble planes but now already has seven back in service. The airline has shifted the aircraft to Toronto from New York because of capacity constraints at that location, though Neves said he’d like to return the A380 to US destinations eventually.The national carrier expects to almost double its fleet to 200 aircraft in the next four or five years, Neves said. Still, the airline doesn’t plan on placing mega fleet orders, and will instead pursue small aircraft purchases as and when it needs them, the CEO said.The airline doesn’t expect the exit of Wizz Air Holdings Plc from Abu Dhabi to impact traffic into its main hub. Neves said that other airlines, including its venture with Air Arabia PJSC, will add more than twice the traffic into the airport than Wizz is pulling out.

Korean Air has placed its largest-ever aircraft order with Boeing, confirming the purchase of 33 787 Dreamliners and 20 777X aircraft. The deal, valued at more than $13bn at list prices, is the latest development in a wider effort by the South Korean carrier to modernise its long-haul fleet, consolidate its positioning post-Asiana merger, and compete more directly with established global network airlines.The timing of the announcement — aligned with the South Korea–US summit — served broader political and commercial visibility, but the transaction itself had long been in development. The order underscores a strategic shift within Korean Air that’s been unfolding over the last two years: a restructuring of fleet, brand, and product to reflect evolving competitive dynamics in long-haul markets.The 33 Dreamliners will consist of a mix of 787-9 and 787-10 variants. These aircraft are expected to replace older Boeing 777-200ERs, early 747s, and some aging Airbus A330s. Korean Air, like many Asian full-service carriers, has adopted a cautious approach to retirement and renewal, often extending the life of aircraft past their prime competitive window. This order begins to address that.The 20 Boeing 777-9s form a separate strategic commitment. The 777X remains under certification and will not begin deliveries before 2026 at the earliest. For Korean Air, the type is likely to be used on its highest-volume long-haul routes, including services to North America and Europe. The aircraft will eventually replace the 777-300ERs and remaining passenger 747-8s, aligning Korean Air’s widebody long-haul fleet around two Boeing types.Fleet consistency is particularly relevant as Korean Air prepares for the full integration of Asiana Airlines. The merger, which has faced regulatory delays across multiple jurisdictions, is now entering its final stages. Combining two long-haul operations with overlapping fleets, brands, and network strategies presents complexity, particularly in aircraft harmonisation. This new Boeing order provides the foundation for long-term simplification.Boeing, meanwhile, secures a rare major widebody order in Asia-Pacific, a region where Airbus has taken a lead in recent years with its A350 programme. Korean Air does operate Airbus widebodies, including A330s and A380s, but this latest purchase indicates a consolidation around Boeing going forward. There is no indication of new Airbus orders in the current pipeline.Outside of the aircraft order, Korean Air has been overhauling its branding and customer experience proposition. In early 2025, the airline unveiled a new brand identity, including updated livery, refreshed cabin interiors, revised uniforms, and new marketing language. The slogan “The World’s Most Loved Airline” accompanied the relaunch. The line is broadly aspirational and places Korean Air in a competitive space alongside carriers such as Singapore Airlines, Qatar Airways, and Emirates—airlines that lead in brand equity and premium product consistency.Alongside the rebrand, Korean Air introduced a new partnership with Armani/Casa, focused on soft product design in premium cabins. This includes tableware, linens, and loungewear in First and Business Class. These types of partnerships are increasingly common in premium airline cabins. Whether they move the needle on passenger preference is debatable, but they serve as visible markers of investment in brand perception.Korean Air’s onboard product had fallen behind regional competitors in recent years. While seat upgrades were carried out selectively across some 777 and A380 aircraft, consistency remained an issue. The new brand and cabin programme suggest a move toward standardisation across the long-haul fleet, particularly post-Asiana integration.However, the airline faces clear limitations. Seoul’s Incheon Airport offers a well-connected hub but lacks the sixth-freedom scale of Dubai or Doha. Korean Air’s long-haul network is focused on North America and select European cities, but remains thinner than competitors based in smaller countries who have built network scale through aggressive transit traffic strategies. Korean Air has not followed that model to the same degree.The carrier is also limited in its domestic catchment. South Korea’s population and outbound travel base is substantial but not expansive. Unlike Emirates, which relies heavily on connecting third-country traffic through Dubai, Korean Air’s long-haul strategy is more reliant on point-to-point markets and demand from Korean outbound and diaspora segments.Korean Air’s competitive positioning in Asia is under pressure from multiple sides. In Northeast Asia, Japan Airlines and All Nippon Airways have similarly refreshed their fleet and premium product. In Southeast Asia, Singapore Airlines continues to hold a lead in international brand preference and product delivery. Further west, Middle East network carriers offer higher frequencies and larger fleets across many of the same long-haul markets.In this context, Korean Air’s latest moves are best understood as necessary rather than bold. The airline is updating an aging fleet, consolidating after a multi-year merger process, and aligning its brand presentation with global expectations. These are the basic requirements for participation in long-haul premium competition—not market-leading innovation.The $1bn Boeing order is a capital-intensive decision at a time when global airline economics remain volatile. While travel demand has recovered across many markets, yields remain under pressure. Fuel costs and labour shortages have added to volatility. Korean Air’s bet is that efficient new aircraft, paired with a consistent premium product, will improve profitability across long-haul sectors.The 787 and 777X are both crucial to this calculation. The former offers flexibility and fuel efficiency on thinner routes, while the latter can deliver higher seat counts on constrained long-haul services. Korean Air’s average sector length supports a two-type widebody strategy. The challenge will lie in execution: deploying these aircraft consistently, standardising the cabin experience, and aligning post-merger networks.There is also the question of cost control. Korean Air has not historically been one of the most cost-efficient full-service carriers in Asia. Labour and operations are expensive relative to regional competitors. A modernised fleet will help, but the transition period between old and new aircraft—and integrating Asiana’s older widebodies—will stretch balance sheet flexibility.As for the goal of becoming “the world’s most loved airline,” that is a marketing aspiration, not a strategic deliverable. Korean Air will be judged less on branding and more on reliability, product consistency, and pricing. The rebrand may improve perception, but in aviation, sentiment follows performance. The author is an aviation analyst. X handle: @AlexInAir.

China has succeeded in matching or surpassing Western industrial technology in cars and trains.But in planes, it’s still woefully behind, a dilemma underscored this week by reports that Chinese airlines intend to order nearly a thousand new jets from Boeing Co and Airbus SE.Commercial Aircraft Corp of China Ltd, as it is formally known, has delivered less than 200 planes since it was established in 2008 and they’re primarily flown by domestic carriers that are state owned also. That’s despite billions of dollars and years of effort into reducing China’s reliance on the duopoly of Airbus and Boeing.As it is, Comac risks falling short of delivering some 75 jets this year.“Any additional Boeing or Airbus narrowbody orders will deal a blow to Comac’s ambitions,” Eric Zhu, Bloomberg Intelligence Asia aviation and defence analyst, said.Comac’s C919 jet, a 158- to 192-seat aircraft, is meant to take on the Airbus A320neo and Boeing’s 737 Max. But it’s struggling to sell internationally, mainly because Comac has been unable to secure certification of its airworthiness from gold-standard regulatory bodies outside of China.Because the C919 is also heavily reliant on Western-made parts, including from the US, Shanghai-based Comac has been in the crosshairs of Washington’s tit-for-tat tariff dispute with Beijing that saw levies rise to as much as 145% before the two committed to a trade deal.Previously, the US restricted some key parts including jet engines from being exported from the US to China, harming Comac’s efforts as its raised output. The single-aisle plane is built mostly with customised versions of parts from other manufacturers, such as engines from CFM International Inc, a Franco-US venture.Comac planned to build and deliver as many as 75 planes this year, according to Cirium. To date, it’s handed over just five C919s to Chinese customers as of mid-August. China’s three biggest airlines — Air China Ltd, China Southern Airlines Co and China Eastern Airlines Co — expected Comac to deliver 32 C919s between them from a coordinated order of 300 planes made over the past 18 months.Comac’s other jet that’s already in the skies is the smaller, regional C909, again operated by mainly domestic carriers as well as Indonesia’s TransNusa. Despite Beijing’s efforts to elevate Comac, the planemaker has placed less than 400 of its C919s to Chinese airlines despite an order book exceeding 1,000, largely populated by domestic aircraft leasing companies.Airbus, meanwhile, which started producing its A320 family of jets in 1988, is about to outsell Boeing for the first time, perhaps as soon as next month, as the pair’s cumulative sales of their cash cow single-aisle jets top close to 12,175 units.“For the time being, Comac is supplementary to Airbus and Boeing,” Lionel Olonga, senior valuations manager at aviation consultancy Cirium, said. “In the mid-2030s, it may have enough production and for replacement of narrow bodies, airlines could pivot to the C919.”Comac has been trying to build an international presence, opening sales offices in Singapore and Hong Kong. It’s also targeted Vietnam, Indonesia and Cambodia to sell its planes. In some cases, it has offered generous financing terms, including even proposing to invest in airlines directly, to secure deals.One area China and Comac is at least seeking less reliance on is its Western supplier base. Comac has been developing a China-made engine that it can deploy on the C919 and other future aircraft models it makes.“Aircraft development and production is one of the hardest things and Comac is still one of the newest kids on the block,” said Alan Lim, director at Singapore-based Alton Aviation Consultancy. In the long run, as the C919 builds up a safe track record, “it may have the potential to challenge the duopoly.”