Aeroplane makers including Boeing and Airbus, the world’s two largest manufacturers, have faced increasing challenges in recent years, after reports of technical and safety concerns.

飛機(jī)制造商，包括波音和空客這兩家全球最大的制造商，近年來(lái)面臨越來(lái)越多的挑戰(zhàn)，原因是技術(shù)和安全問(wèn)題的報(bào)道不斷增加。

Most recently, the engine of an Airbus A350 caught fire during a Cathay Pacific Airways flight while a rear door plug on a Boeing 737-9 Max blew out during an Alaska Airlines flight. Both companies are also involved in a US regulatory investigation into false paperwork related to the authentication of aerospace-grade titanium parts.

最近，一架國(guó)泰航空的空客A350在飛行中引擎起火，而阿拉斯加航空的一架波音737-9 Max的后門塞在飛行中被吹出。這兩家公司還卷入了美國(guó)監(jiān)管機(jī)構(gòu)對(duì)偽造航天級(jí)鈦合金部件認(rèn)證文件的調(diào)查。

Supply chain constraints are an additional challenge as Boeing and Airbus struggle to clear their backlog. Boeing delivered just 291 commercial planes in the first nine months of the year, down from 371 for the same period last year. Airbus did better, delivering 497 commercial aircraft, up from 488 for the previous corresponding period. But both manufacturers continue to wrestle with a massive backlog of more than 14,100 commercial aircraft.

供應(yīng)鏈限制是波音和空客努力清理積壓訂單的另一挑戰(zhàn)。波音在今年前九個(gè)月僅交付了291架商用飛機(jī)，較去年同期的371架有所減少。空客表現(xiàn)更好，交付了497架商用飛機(jī)，高于去年同期的488架。但兩家制造商仍在應(yīng)對(duì)超過(guò)14,100架商用飛機(jī)的巨大積壓訂單。

Into the breach has stepped Comac, the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China. The state-owned company’s C919 jet, launched commercially last year, is designed to compete with Boeing’s 737 and Airbus’ A320 planes. This is widely seen as a bid to reduce Chinese dependence on the Western aviation giants and assert China’s influence in the global aviation market.

中國(guó)商用飛機(jī)有限責(zé)任公司（Comac）也加入了這一競(jìng)爭(zhēng)行列。去年商業(yè)化推出的C919噴氣式客機(jī)旨在與波音的737和空客的A320飛機(jī)競(jìng)爭(zhēng)。這被廣泛視為減少中國(guó)對(duì)西方航空巨頭依賴并在全球航空市場(chǎng)上展現(xiàn)中國(guó)影響力的舉措。

While Boeing and Airbus face pressure to upgrade their passenger aircraft to make them more sustainable after the global industry formally committed to net zero emissions by 2050, Comac has designed its C919 with environmental sustainability as a main obxtive – the jet made its first commercial flight on sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) in September.

在全球航空業(yè)正式承諾到2050年實(shí)現(xiàn)凈零排放后，波音和空客面臨著升級(jí)客機(jī)以提高可持續(xù)性的壓力，而商飛在設(shè)計(jì)C919時(shí)將環(huán)境可持續(xù)性作為主要目標(biāo)，該噴氣機(jī)于9月首次使用可持續(xù)航空燃料（SAF）進(jìn)行了商業(yè)飛行。

SAF can be made from algae or waste from agricultural, forestry, food and municipal sources. It can cut life-cycle carbon emissions by up to 80 per cent compared with petroleum-based jet fuel.

SAF可以由藻類或農(nóng)業(yè)、林業(yè)、食品和市政來(lái)源的廢料制成，與石油基航空燃料相比，可以將生命周期內(nèi)的碳排放量減少 80%。

The CF919 also has CFM International’s Leap-1C engine, which promises better fuel consumption, fewer emissions and is quieter than previous-generation engines. For now, three Chinese airlines operate C919 flights, namely, China Eastern Airlines, Air China and China Southern.

CF919還配備了CFM國(guó)際的Leap-1C發(fā)動(dòng)機(jī)，與上一代發(fā)動(dòng)機(jī)相比，該發(fā)動(dòng)機(jī)油耗更低、排放更少、噪音更小。目前，三家中國(guó)航空公司運(yùn)營(yíng)C919航班，即中國(guó)東方航空、中國(guó)國(guó)際航空和中國(guó)南方航空。

But international interest in the C919 is growing, especially as supply chain hiccups, including an engine recall, affect the smooth delivery of new planes from established manufacturers. For instance, GallopAir, a Brunei-based start-up airline, has placed an order, while Vietnam Airlines, Indonesia’s TransNusa and Brazil’s Total Linhas Aereas have reportedly expressed interest.

但國(guó)際市場(chǎng)對(duì)C919的興趣正在增長(zhǎng)，尤其是在供應(yīng)鏈問(wèn)題（包括發(fā)動(dòng)機(jī)召回）影響老牌制造商新飛機(jī)的順利交付的情況下。例如，總部位于文萊的初創(chuàng)航空公司GallopAir已經(jīng)下了訂單，而越南航空、印度尼西亞的TransNusa和巴西的Total Linhas Aereas據(jù)說(shuō)也表現(xiàn)了興趣。

Comac’s bigger ambition, however, is to break into the European market. To do that, it has to first secure certification from the European unx Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), a process it reportedly hopes to complete as soon as next year.

然而，商飛的更大目標(biāo)是打入歐洲市場(chǎng)。為此，它必須首先獲得歐洲航空安全局（EASA）的認(rèn)證，據(jù)報(bào)道，希望最快能在明年完成這一過(guò)程。
原創(chuàng)翻譯：龍騰網(wǎng) http://m.top-shui.cn 轉(zhuǎn)載請(qǐng)注明出處


The C919 is at the third stage of the four-step process. In July, EASA technicians conducted an on-the-ground inspection of the jet’s flight simulator and assessed its compliance with European regulatory requirements for structural and electrical systems. The feedback was reportedly positive.

C919正處于四步認(rèn)證過(guò)程的第三階段。今年7月，EASA技術(shù)人員對(duì)噴氣機(jī)的飛行模擬器進(jìn)行了地面檢查，并評(píng)估其對(duì)歐洲結(jié)構(gòu)和電氣系統(tǒng)監(jiān)管要求的符合性。據(jù)報(bào)道，反饋是積極的。

If Comac wants to further its global ambitions, it will also need the nod from the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), though this may be another story due to challenging geopolitical dynamics. The FAA, as well might the EASA, could subject the C919 to deeper scrutiny.

如果商飛想要進(jìn)一步實(shí)現(xiàn)其全球雄心，還需要獲得美國(guó)聯(lián)邦航空管理局（FAA）的認(rèn)可，但由于地緣政治動(dòng)態(tài)，這可能是另一個(gè)故事。FAA和EASA都可能對(duì)C919進(jìn)行更深入的審查。

Any delays in the stamp of approval will shut Comac out of the key markets of Europe and the United States. To overcome geopolitical hurdles, Comac must work on building trust and partnerships with potential buyers of its aircraft.

審查的任何延遲都將使商飛無(wú)法進(jìn)入歐洲和美國(guó)這兩個(gè)關(guān)鍵市場(chǎng)。為了克服地緣政治障礙，商飛必須致力于與潛在買家建立信任和合作伙伴關(guān)系。

Comac’s expansion plans come as the aviation market is expected to grow strongly in the Asia-Pacific. Airbus forecasts that the region’s commercial aircraft services market will expand from US$52 billion this year to US$129 billion by 2043, with passenger air traffic growing at a compound annual growth rate of 4.81 per cent. About 19,500 new aircraft must be introduced over the next two decades to meet this new demand.

商飛的擴(kuò)張計(jì)劃正值亞太地區(qū)航空市場(chǎng)預(yù)計(jì)將強(qiáng)勁增長(zhǎng)之際?？湛皖A(yù)測(cè)，該地區(qū)的商用飛機(jī)服務(wù)市場(chǎng)將從今年的520億美元擴(kuò)大到2043年的1290億美元，乘客航空交通量將以年復(fù)合增長(zhǎng)率4.81%的速度增長(zhǎng)。未來(lái)二十年內(nèi)需引入約19,500架新飛機(jī)以滿足這一新需求。

The C919 is off to an auspicious start. Feedback from passengers and the media has been encouraging, highlighting flight stability and the comfortable travel experience. But the challenges it faces remain manifold.

C919開(kāi)局良好。來(lái)自乘客和媒體的反饋令人鼓舞，突出了飛行的穩(wěn)定性和舒適的旅行體驗(yàn)。但其面臨的挑戰(zhàn)仍然很多。

On top of securing international certification, Comac has to ramp up its production capacity if it is to seriously compete with Boeing and Airbus. For instance, Airbus aims to produce 75 A320 planes per month in 2027 while Comac’s Shanghai factory is aiming for 150 C919s a year by 2028.

如果它想認(rèn)真與波音和空客競(jìng)爭(zhēng)的話，除了獲得國(guó)際認(rèn)證，商飛還必須提高其生產(chǎn)能力。例如，空客計(jì)劃到2027年每月生產(chǎn)75架A320飛機(jī)，而商飛的上海工廠計(jì)劃到2028年每年生產(chǎn)150架C919。

While the C919 is already thought to be much less expensive than the Boeing and Airbus jets it wants to compete with, its price competitiveness can be strengthened by increasing the localisation of its components.

雖然C919已經(jīng)被認(rèn)為比其想要競(jìng)爭(zhēng)的波音和空客噴氣機(jī)便宜得多，但通過(guò)增加其組件的本地化程度可以進(jìn)一步增強(qiáng)其價(jià)格競(jìng)爭(zhēng)力。

Whether Comac – and its C919 – can take off will depend on how well the Chinese upstart navigates all of the challenges. Should Comac win US and European certifications for its C919 and successfully ramp up its production capabilities, China could emerge as an important competitive force in global aviation.

商飛及其C919能否成功將取決于其如何應(yīng)對(duì)所有挑戰(zhàn)。如果商飛贏得C919的美國(guó)和歐洲認(rèn)證并成功提高其生產(chǎn)能力，中國(guó)可能成為全球航空領(lǐng)域的重要競(jìng)爭(zhēng)力量。

In an industry long dominated by the West – particularly in the large commercial jet space, which is almost exclusively occupied by Boeing and Airbus – the emergence of more players can only bring down prices and improve the efficiency of the market.

在由西方長(zhǎng)期主導(dǎo)的行業(yè)中——特別是在幾乎完全由波音和空客占據(jù)的大型商用噴氣機(jī)領(lǐng)域——更多參與者的出現(xiàn)只會(huì)降低價(jià)格，提高市場(chǎng)效率。

More competition will also push aircraft manufacturers to invest more in technological advances for safer, more efficient and environmentally sustainable planes. The entry of more players can also grow the supply chain, allowing for a more rapid response to changing air travel demand.

更多的競(jìng)爭(zhēng)也將推動(dòng)飛機(jī)制造商在技術(shù)進(jìn)步上投入更多，以制造更安全、更高效和更環(huán)保的飛機(jī)。更多參與者的加入也可以擴(kuò)大供應(yīng)鏈，從而能夠更迅速地響應(yīng)變化的航空旅行需求。

Hopefully, China’s Comac will open the door to a better and healthier global aviation industry.

希望中國(guó)商飛能為全球航空業(yè)的發(fā)展打開(kāi)一扇更好、更健康的大門。