The C919 fleet in China has already accumulated more than 36,000 flight hours and carried over two million passengers, according to data released by local sources. Although these figures refer exclusively to the domestic market, they give an idea of how far the project has advanced. For China Southern, the airline presenting the aircraft in Dubai, this particular C919 is the sixth unit delivered, on 28 September 2025. This operator alone has already connected more than 17 destinations with the model, clocking up 10,000 flight hours and transporting 627,000 passengers with a more limited configuration.
The international deployment of the C919 forms part of COMAC’s broader strategy to compete head-to-head with the Airbus A320neo and the Boeing 737 MAX in the narrow-body segment. Its appearance at the Dubai Airshow marks its first major showcase outside Asia, a key step in its goal to diversify markets and gain access to global routes. However, there are still important caveats: for now, the C919 does not have certification from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) or the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), which restricts its commercial operation in many Western countries.
The event in Dubai is therefore seen more as a high-profile coming-out party than as the starting point of a wave of immediate sales. Rather than closing multi-million-dollar contracts on the spot, China is using this platform to demonstrate its industrial capacity, its technological progress and its intention to break into a market that has gone decades without a new major player. This type of appearance reinforces the narrative of change: that a third option could emerge alongside Airbus and Boeing.
From a market perspective, the C919 is entering an extremely competitive niche, in which airlines are looking for aircraft that are efficient, reliable, supported by strong after-sales service and compliant with international standards. To succeed beyond China’s borders, COMAC will have to strengthen its service network, obtain key certifications, prove the aircraft’s reliability on international flights and win over airlines that have never operated this type of jet. On its side, it has the sheer size of the Chinese market and strong state backing, which provide a substantial “testing ground” before a full-scale global launch.
For the global aerospace industry, the arrival of the C919 represents a potential shift in the balance of power. While a swift, massive replacement of Airbus and Boeing models is not on the horizon, it does show that competition is beginning to spread across more fronts. Airlines and manufacturers will be watching closely how institutional backing evolves, how certification agreements progress and how the first deliveries outside China unfold. In this context, the role of the Dubai Airshow as a strategic platform for the industry is once again confirmed: an event where exhibition, business and alliances come together in a sector undergoing profound transformation.
Ultimately, the C919’s entry into the international market is no longer a distant dream for China. Although it still has to prove it can compete on equal footing with Airbus and Boeing, its debut in the Middle East marks a milestone. The next challenge will be to turn this showcase into real operations: contracts with airlines outside China and a production and support chain capable of sustaining its ambition to become a truly global player in commercial aviation.
