KUALA LUMPUR: China is set to make a significant mark in its commercial aircraft manufacturing capability by displaying its latest narrow-body aircraft, the COMAC C919, at the upcoming Singapore Airshow.
The aircraft, slated to be a strong rival to Boeing's 737 MAX families and Airbus' A320 airplanes, will perform flight demonstrations at the event, which lasts from February 20–25.
Experia Events Pte Ltd managing director, Leck Chet Lam said the C919 aircraft, developed by Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China, Ltd (COMAC), will take part in the Singapore Airshow for the first time.
The first public display of the C919 was held in Hong Kong's Victoria Harbour in December last year.
European plane manufacturer Airbus will showcase its long-range wide-body A350-1000, while America's Boeing will not have an aerial display of any of its commercial airplanes except its B777X cabin display.
However, Boeing said it will display the majority of its defence inventory, including the F-15, P-8A Poseidon, AH-64E Apache, CH-47F Chinook, and C-17 Globalmaster III, while its B-52 will participate in the flying display.
This year's Singapore Airshow will showcase the largest number of foreign flying teams, said Experia, with the Indian Air Force's Sarang showcasing its acrobatic manoeuvres at the event for the first time.
The line-up also includes the Royal Australian Air Force's Roulettes, the Indonesian Air Force's Jupiter, and the Republic of Korea Air Force's Black Eagles.
The U.S.' Air Force's B-52 Stratofortress will also make a flypast on Feb 22.
The flying displays will be held once a day at 12:30pm on Feb 20, 11:30am on Feb 21 and 22. It will be held twice a day at 11:30 am and 2.30pm on Feb 24 and 25.
"However, these schedules and timings are subject to change, and attendees are advised to check the Singapore Airshow website for the latest update," Experia said in a statement.
The Republic of Singapore Air Force will also participate in the event with its F-15SG fighter jet and the AH-64D Apache attack helicopter aerial display.
The first Singapore Airshow was held in 2008, and it has quickly become one of the most anticipated biennial events in Asia.
The event was disrupted in 2020 when a number of companies reduced their attendance or pulled out of the airshow entirely due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
It returned to the scene again for the first time in 2022, post-pandemic, with Airbus walking away with the most aircraft orders.