Malaysian Transport Minister Anthony Loke has called on the Chinese state-owned maker of the C919 passenger jet to set its sights on the global market and be more aggressive in boosting its international standing, as AirAsia nears a deal to become its first foreign buyer.
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Loke made the comments on Wednesday while speaking at a Malaysian Chamber of Commerce Hong Kong and Macau (Maycham) event, where he outlined a series of updates on his country’s transport industry – from air travel to cross-border ride-hailing with Singapore.
Since its commercial debut in May 2023, the C919 aircraft developed by state-owned Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (Comac) has flown more than 1.5 million passengers on domestic carriers including Air China, China Eastern Airlines and China Southern Airlines, but the company has yet to secure any foreign orders for the model.
Loke said he had given Comac feedback on improving its marketing strategy after the company held a roadshow at Subang Airport last year and parked a C919 there without informing him, leaving him to view the aircraft on his own without an invitation.
“The moment you have a foreign airline flying your plane, the confidence will go up, and you are becoming an international player,” Loke said. “Even if you get 10 planes flown by a foreign airline, you’ll make a lot of difference, because that is a recognition of the safety and the reliability of the aircraft.”
Tony Fernandes, chief executive of Capital A – the investment holding company of AirAsia – confirmed during the Belt and Road Summit in Hong Kong on the same day that the airline was in active discussions to buy the C919, describing it as the first foreign carrier to work with Comac on a deal.