Chinese jet manufacturer Comac to make historic debut at Dubai Airshow 2025

Dubai: The Chinese state-owned aircraft manufacturer, Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China Ltd., better known as Comac, will make its Dubai Airshow debut in November this year.

Timothy Hawes, managing director of Informa Markets, which organises the Dubai Airshow, confirmed Comac’s participation during a press conference on Tuesday.

“We have COMAC, the Chinese manufacturer, that will also be coming for the very first time,” said Hawes. "They will have four aircraft on display, as well as taking part in the actual flying display,” he added, without providing any more details.

The announcement represents Comac's first major showcase in the Middle East region, as the manufacturer seeks to establish itself as an alternative to Boeing and Airbus in global aviation markets.

Paul Griffiths, CEO of Dubai Airports, drew parallels with China's success in the automotive sector whilst commenting on Comac's potential regional impact.

"If you look at the developments with the number of automotive products coming out of China, and how impressive some of those are, they may well be making quite a statement in the aerospace industry," Griffiths said.

What to expect at Dubai Airshow 2025

Whilst specific details about which Comac aircraft models will be displayed remain under wraps, Griffiths suggested the event would reveal the manufacturer's technical direction and capabilities.

"It would be really interesting to see what Comac are going to exhibit, and I think we'll be able to answer those questions when we see what particular technical direction that they're headed in," he said. "But we'll know at the Air Show in November."

The GCC as well as the wider Middle East represents a crucial growth market for aircraft manufacturers, with Gulf carriers amongst the world's largest operators of wide-body jets. Comac's participation signals the company's ambitions to capture a share of this lucrative market.

Recently, Comac slashed its delivery targets for its flagship C919 jet from 75 to just 25 units, Bloomberg reported a fortnight ago.

Still, demand for the Comac jets are steadily rising, especially among South-East Asian carriers. Air Cambodia placed an order for 10 C909 passenger jets, with the option to purchase an additional 10.

Tony Fernandes, CEO of Air Asia, the Malaysia-based budget airline, confirmed that his airline is in advanced talks to acquire narrow-body jets, specifically the C919 model.

As for the world’s two largest aircraft manufacturers, Boeing and Airbus, Covid-era delivery delays continue to persist. Airbus aims to deliver 820 aircraft in 2025, representing a 7 per cent increase over its 2024 deliveries. CEO Guillaume Faury says they’re still on track for that goal. Boeing is also seeing higher delivery numbers in 2025 compared to 2024.