C919's HK flight a soaring milestone

The first commercial flight of the China-made passenger plane C919 to Hong Kong on New Year's Day will mark a major milestone for the mainland's commercial jet manufacturing industry.

Since deliveries for commercial operation began in the middle of last year, the C919 has been flown on domestic routes within the mainland.

The addition of Hong Kong will not only grow the destination list but also make it strategically different.

For one, if the service to Hong Kong is viewed as non-domestic, it may claim to be the first international service for the home-grown C919.

It is also symbolic of the country's attempt to win international recognition of the aircraft in the longer term.

Given its special historical status, Hong Kong has over the years provided Chinese companies a useful platform to reach out to the world. By flying the C919 to Hong Kong on a regular commercial basis from 2025, it may help promote global acceptance of the China-made passenger jet.

Despite its success within the country, the C919 is still having its wings clipped due to certification hurdles it needs to overcome elsewhere, primarily the US and European Union.

In this respect, it would be helpful to operate regular flights to Hong Kong which, although a Chinese city, differs from others in many aspects.

For a number of its trading partners, the SAR is considered on its own merits that mainland cities, including Shanghai, do not possess. This could be called the brand effect - officials in the SAR and the mainland are avidly aware of Hong Kong is a brand to treasure.

The narrow-body C919, developed by Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC), is being sold to the country's three major state airlines -China Eastern Airlines, Air China and China Southern Airlines.

The plane is marketed as a direct competitor to the Boeing 737 and Airbus A320.

Following its introduction, Cathay Pacific chief executive Ronald Lam Siu-por said he would expect to see "triangular competition" in the aviation manufacturing market.

So will Cathay join its mainland counterparts and place C919 orders in the near future to become the first non-mainland airline to buy the C919? Speaking to the media recently, Lam reiterated that Cathay is a Hong Kong-based carrier and, while it has the backing of the country, the airline also faces the world.

COMAC is now developing a bigger version of the aircraft, the C929, that may better suit the needs of the Hong Kong carrier. Development of the larger C929 is expected to take awhile.

Meanwhile, COMAC is reportedly moving steadily to promote the C919 to airlines in Indonesia, Cambodia and Kazakhstan amid speculation that they would place the first orders for the plane outside China.

There is an improved opportunity to export the C919 in light of reports that Boeing is suffering from quality issues at its factories and bottlenecks in the supply chain.

Both Boeing and Airbus are said to have sold out their capacity until 2030.

Once certification hurdles are cleared and quality is assured, there is a vacuum for the C919 to fill.