With the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC) setting up a booth at the Paris Air Show 2023 and showcasing a COMAC wide-body aircraft as one of its products, was Russia kicked out of the CR929 program?
COMAC精东影业 booth showcased three of its products, namely the ARJ21, C919, and wide-body aircraft, which was shown on a screen with the headline that reads 鈥渓ong range wide-body鈥. According to the information provided by COMAC to visitors, the twin-aisle jet can seat between 280 and 320 passengers with a range of up to 12,000 kilometers (6,479 nautical miles, 7,456 miles).
However, the words 鈥淐omac wide-body鈥 are visible on the aircraft精东影业 tail, front fuselage, as well as the belly.聽
Its technical specifications are similar to the CR929. That aircraft精东影业 product page is still available on COMAC精东影业 website, both on the Chinese and English versions, stating that the CR929 can seat 280 passengers and fly up to 12,000 km (6,479 nm, 7,456 mi). The 鈥淐R929 long-range wide-body passenger aircraft is a dual-aisle civil aircraft jointly developed by China and Russia,鈥 according to the Chinese plane maker精东影业 product page of the twin-aisle jet.
Furthermore, the visualizations on the Chinese company精东影业 website still have the United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) on the aircraft, with the CR929 name being placed where, now, the words 鈥淐omac wide-body鈥 are spelled out.
UAC, COMAC精东影业 Russian partner on the project, also still lists the CR929. However, clicking on the model returns you back to the company精东影业 homepage.
Sanctions impacting the CR929 project
According to a report by the Russian news agency Interfax in August 2022, the Chief Executive Officer of UAC Yuri Slyusar said that the CR929 project will be 鈥渦pdated鈥.
鈥淭he pandemic has changed the air transportation market, changed the requirements for range, passenger capacity, performance, fuel cost. Accordingly, the sanctions pressure that we experienced has changed the composition of cooperation,鈥 Slyusar explained at the time. According to the chief executive, lockdowns and sanctions imposed upon Russia following its invasion of Ukraine left an impact on the project, which is why UAC has to 鈥渦pdate the format of participation鈥.
Later in 2022, Denis Manturov, the Minister of Industry and Trade of Russia, said that Russia might become 鈥渁 supplier of units and components鈥 rather than a full partner, according to another Interfax report from March 2023.
According to a by The Air Current from June 20, 2023, an industry official confirmed that COMAC will continue developing the wide-body aircraft without Russia. Another report by iXBT, a Russian news site focused on technologies, reported that the paths of COMAC and UAC 鈥渇inally diverged, leaving only the possibility of some kind of cooperation鈥.
The CR929 was initially scheduled to enter service in 2026 or 2027.
