Two Former High-Level Executives of Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China Suspected to be Involved in Mishaps; Domestic Large Aircraft Caught in Shadow

In the midst of a major cleanup within the Chinese Communist Party’s military-industrial complex, China’s Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC) has recently seen two former high-ranking officials absent from important official events, leading to speculation that they may have run into trouble. The domestically produced large aircraft C919 manufactured by COMAC involves international component assembly, and was recently placed on a U.S. sanctions list, raising concerns about possible production difficulties. With external sanctions in place, corruption issues are expected to cast a shadow over domestic aircraft production.

Zhou Xinmin, who has served as chairman of the Aviation Industry Corporation of China for less than a year, recently missed a Lunar New Year gathering for retired employees, leading to suspicions that he may be the latest high-ranking official within the military-industrial system to run into trouble in the past two years. Zhou Xinmin previously served as the general manager of Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China.

Additionally, the current Minister of Industry and Information Technology, Jin Zhuanglong, has been absent from the Central Discipline Inspection Commission’s plenary session and the CCP State Council’s “clean governance working meeting” this year, leading to speculations that he too may have encountered trouble.

Jin Zhuanglong previously also served as the deputy head of the large aircraft project preparation team. In 2008, when COMAC was established, Jin Zhuanglong served as the general manager. In January 2012, he became the chairman of COMAC, succeeding Zhang Qingwei as the second chairman of COMAC. He has been hailed by the media as the “leader of domestic large aircraft.” On May 5, 2017, the C919 successfully completed its maiden flight, with Jin Zhuanglong serving as the overall commander.

COMAC serves as the main entity responsible for implementing the national large aircraft project within the Chinese Communist Party, having been established on May 11, 2008, with its headquarters in Shanghai, producing the domestically assembled C919 aircraft composed of international components. On July 27, 2017, He Dongfeng succeeded Jin Zhuanglong as the chairman of COMAC. He had previously served as the general manager of the company and had worked alongside Chairman Jin Zhuanglong in leading the domestic airliner project.

Commentator Li Linyi told Epoch Times that the recent incidents involving a large number of military-industrial figures going missing could indicate they have undergone internal disciplinary actions, with the extent of their punishment unclear but likely related to corruption or issues concerning political loyalty to Xi Jinping. This is bound to cast a shadow over relevant military-industrial projects.

Zhao Jie, deputy director of the technical department at Luoyang Ouqi Corporation, which has been directly involved in military product manufacturing for 13 years, recently told Epoch Times that the leadership at the Luoyang Optoelectronic Equipment Research Institute 613 is highly corrupt, with product manufacturers able to pass inspections through bribery. In one case, bolts produced by an outsourcing factory were installed on the Z-10 armed helicopter without testing, leading the aircraft to crash during a test flight.

According to public information, the C919 is a single-aisle 150-seat narrow-body commercial aircraft manufactured by COMAC, with a standard configuration of 168 seats and a maximum capacity of 190 seats. The C919 project was launched in 2008, with the first prototype originally planned to make its maiden flight in 2014, but it was not until November 2015 that the first C919 aircraft rolled off the assembly line. Originally scheduled for delivery in 2016, it was postponed due to various development issues. The C919 successfully completed its maiden flight on May 5, 2017, at Shanghai Pudong International Airport. It received its airworthiness certificate in 2022 and began commercial operation on May 28, 2023.

Domestically made goods have long been a cornerstone of the Chinese Communist Party’s nationalist propaganda, beyond questioning. However, the C919 has faced continuous issues since its debut.

On February 1, 2023, a C919 aircraft scheduled for verification flight mission from Shanghai to Hefei via Beijing experienced a left engine thrust reversal failure upon landing at Beijing Daxing Airport, leading to the cancellation of the verification flight, with the aircraft flying directly back to Shanghai Hongqiao Airport.

The C919 operated its maiden commercial flight on May 28, 2023. However, shortly after, an East China Airlines flight using the C919 to Chengdu did not return with passengers after landing.

On June 29, 2023, another Shanghai East China Airlines C919 flight to Chengdu was unable to return normally and was replaced by an Airbus A320 for the return journey. Subsequently, on June 30, the C919 flight was again halted, with the same flight using an Airbus A320neo. On July 1, the C919 resumed flight operations.

During this year’s Chinese New Year travel period, the C919 operated multiple routes across the country.

Epoch Times found that despite strict control by authorities, there are still criticisms of the C919 on mainland Chinese social media.

On January 13, a Chinese netizen posted on social media, stating, “Eastern Airlines, domestic aircraft C919 mechanical failure. Originally booked this MU9199 flight to Guangzhou for the C919, but Eastern Airlines told me there was a ‘mechanical failure’ with the C919, delaying for over an hour and switching to an Airbus 321… What’s the point of booking this flight at this price and time? There are plenty of lower-priced flights with earlier times, and I believe many customers choosing this flight are to support and experience the C919. This domestic aircraft C919 is only 2 years old, but it’s prone to mechanical failures? Since the aircraft was changed, shouldn’t the airline apologize and compensate the customers? With such a service, I won’t choose Eastern Airlines in the future.”

On November 14, 2024, another netizen mentioned traveling on the China-made C919 (with registration number B919D) from Xi’an to Beijing for the first time… However, despite foggy conditions in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, other Airbus and Boeing planes took off, so why was our 919 delayed for over four hours and still hesitant to take off? Does the quality of domestic large aircraft really lack reliability?

On September 14 last year, another internet user cautioned to be careful when booking flights on the Eastern Airlines C919 model, as the flight from Chengdu to Shanghai was delayed due to technical issues. While flying from Shanghai to Chengdu a few days prior, waiting inside the shuttle under the aircraft for a long time, they were eventually taken back to the terminal building as the aircraft lost power. After waiting for two hours in the terminal, they were eventually switched to another plane. Next time, pay attention to the aircraft model when booking tickets; it’s really too time-consuming!

Many netizens on Chinese social media have discussed, “Are you willing to travel on a C919?” Someone responded, “I will dare to fly on it only when it becomes a plane for leaders.” Some have said, “Leaders should fly on it first.”

The development of the C919 has taken more than 14 years, hailed as China’s first domestically developed jetliner for the civil aviation market, but it is actually assembled from various international components.

Although the C919 has entered commercial operation, it heavily relies on American components and technology. For instance, the C919’s LEAP-X1C engine is manufactured by CFM International, a joint venture between General Electric of the United States and Safran of France.

A Chinese blogger posted a list of suppliers for various components of the C919, bluntly stating, “I have to admit, the gap is still quite large…”

The C919 was recently exposed for stealing technology from Airbus.

A documentary titled “France-China: Secret War” aired on French TV channel M6 News on the evening of January 12 this year, revealing that China’s domestically produced C919 aircraft had stolen technology from Airbus. Since 2010, China has engaged hackers to infiltrate aerospace industry outsourcing companies to steal information and data on international regulatory certification procedures, with Safran, the manufacturer of A350 engines, being one of the targets.

The worsening relations between Beijing and Washington and the increasingly tense situation are also impacting China’s aviation industry.

On January 6 this year, the U.S. Department of Defense released an updated list of “Chinese military-related companies” in the Federal Register, adding 134 Chinese companies, including COMAC, to the list. Entities listed may face prohibitions on physical services or restrictions on the supply of goods.

A recent article by Chinese self-media “China Civil Aviation People” expressed concern that COMAC being included in the list may pose obstacles or even lead to sanctions in importing American products and technology in the future, potentially causing the C919 aircraft to face production difficulties.

The article mentioned that many key components of the domestically made C919 aircraft rely on imports, particularly the flight control system and engine. The LEAP-X1C engine used is developed by CFM International, a company jointly established by General Electric of the U.S. and Safran of France. Aircraft engines are considered the “core lifeline” of airplanes with highly advanced technology. Imagine if the supply of engines to domestic large aircraft is cut off, and there is no domestic CJ1000A engine available as a substitute at that time, what kind of situation will it lead to?

A previous article by Forbes suggested that one of the major risks of the Chinese government compelling Chinese airlines to purchase domestically made aircraft is that if the U.S. deems such mandatory practices by the CCP as creating unfair competition for foreign companies, it may completely cut off the supply of components. For example, the 80-seat turboprop aircraft being developed by Xi’an Aircraft Industry Group requires engines produced by “Pratt & Whitney Canada” (PWC), but Canada refused export permits in 2021.