China's Comac aims to become aviation heavyweight

Zhuhai

IN a private room at Airshow China set aside for discreet deal making, the Commercial Aviation Corp of China has hung a picture of President Xi Jinping sitting in the cockpit of one of its new planes.

The glossy photo is more than just a celebrity endorsement: It represents the status of the company, known as Comac, as the country's largest foray into commercial aviation. And Comac has ambitions to push beyond the borders of China, facing off directly with Western heavyweights in a global market that by some estimates is expected to see more than US$4 trillion in sales over the next 20 years.