Recently China's three major airlines have successively issued announcements, announcing the purchase of 292 Airbus A320NEO aircraft, with a total order price of US$37.257 billion (approximately 240 billion yuan). This is the largest passenger aircraft order for Chinese airlines in the past three years.
According to the announcement, Air China and its subsidiary Shenzhen Airlines will purchase 96 aircraft, China Eastern Airlines will purchase 100 aircraft, and China Southern Airlines Co., Ltd. will also purchase 96 aircraft. All three companies will adopt installment payments, and Airbus has also given certain discounts to Chinese airlines.
This deal is very important to both parties. As the domestic epidemic situation improves, various places have appropriately relaxed prevention and control measures, and the flow of people has begun to increase. In June, the number of single-day civil aviation flights nationwide exceeded 10,000 for three consecutive days. For There is good news for China’s civil aviation industry.
In order to meet domestic needs, Chinese airlines must expand their carrying capacity and purchase more passenger aircraft. Airbus also attaches great importance to the Chinese market. Currently, most countries have not yet emerged from the COVID-19 epidemic, and the international civil aviation industry has been hit hard.
Airbus's business will naturally be affected. Reduced demand means reduced orders. Nowadays, Chinese companies have purchased 292 aircraft in one go, which is a timely help for Airbus. At the same time, Airbus has once again expanded its share in the Chinese market and consolidated its position.
However, some people are worried about this. Bloomberg in the United States published an article saying that this order from the Chinese company may have a huge impact on the American Boeing Company. Boeing and Airbus are the two giants in the global aircraft manufacturing industry, almost monopolizing the global civil aviation market.
For Boeing, if Airbus obtains orders from Chinese companies, it means that its share in the Chinese market will be taken away, and the company's profits will be affected. Therefore, Boeing Company cannot be indifferent to this. However, it should be noted that there is a reason why Boeing was abandoned by Chinese companies.
Boeing airliners were once very popular in China, but Boeing's frequent air crashes have discouraged Chinese airlines. On October 29, 2018, an Indonesian Lion Air Boeing 737 MAX2 passenger plane suddenly crashed into the sea, killing all 181 passengers and 8 crew members.
Less than half a year after the Lion Air crash, Ethiopian Airlines A 737 Max passenger plane crashed again, killing all 157 people, including 8 Chinese citizens. In March 2019, China completely grounded its 737MAX passenger aircraft.
Frequent air crashes prove that Boeing-related passenger aircraft have serious safety problems, and Chinese airlines must choose carefully. In fact, according to the subsequent investigation, the plane's airspeed indicator and malfunctioned before the Lion Air crashed passenger plane took off.
In addition to mechanical failures, Lion Air crash investigators also questioned Boeing's improper management and also targeted the FAA for a lack of supervision. The U.S. government and Boeing did not shirk their responsibilities and promised to carry out reforms.
No matter what, the problem still exists. It is not yet known whether Boeing has made rectifications, but there is nothing wrong with being vigilant. China must ensure the safety of its citizens. If problematic passenger planes are allowed to enter the market, the tragedy may happen again.
If Boeing wants to compete with Airbus for China's market share, it should first improve the safety of its passenger aircraft and enhance the confidence of Chinese consumers. Secondly, Boeing should draw a clear line with the Taiwan authorities. The Taiwan issue is China's core interest and has no connection with Boeing.
The weapons previously sold by the US authorities to Taiwan were mainly produced by US companies such as Boeing and Lockheed Martin. Boeing not only produces civilian airliners, but is also a giant in military aircraft manufacturing, including the famous B-52 "Stratofortress" bomber.
Currently, Boeing has been included in China’s sanctions list and has been criticized by Chinese officials. Boeing has naturally lost its foothold in China.It's never feasible to take advantage of the situation, and Boeing has stepped on China's red line.
China has always opened its door to foreign companies, but if foreign companies want to operate in China for a long time, they must abide by Chinese laws and regulations. They cannot eat from the Chinese market and smash China's pot at the same time, otherwise they will be kicked out sooner or later.
At the same time, China is also developing its own domestically produced large aircraft. The c919 large aircraft has successfully made its first flight, and many domestic airlines have placed orders. Although domestically produced aircraft are just getting started, this is a big step towards getting rid of our dependence on the West.
