Mentor or rival? China takes notes from Brazilian giant Embraer as C919 soars ahead

When China set off on its long-haul endeavour to build and fly a modern commercial airliner, it aimed high, with the long-term aspiration of taking on Western competitors Boeing and Airbus.

Now, with its home-grown C919 being used commercially by three domestic airlines and hopes that it will be used overseas, the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (Comac) will need to take a detour to learn from another foreign manufacturer to achieve its lofty goal, with Brazilian giant Embraer on its radar.

“Comac needs to compare notes with Embraer, whose rise from scratch to becoming a global aviation powerhouse is a source of inspiration,” said Paulo Filho, a former colonel and strategic studies expert with the Brazilian army.

Embraer’s technology and sales prowess are much sought after, analysts said, with Comac aiming to increase the pace it can produce the C919, as well as future models, while also cramming normally decades worth of certification and overseas marketing into about 10 years.

“Beijing and Comac may court Embraer [to learn from] and [avoid] direct competition, when geopolitics makes Boeing and Airbus less willing to share their know-how,” said Jason Zheng, an analyst with Shanghai-based aviation information provider Airwefly.

For Embraer, it also hopes closer ties may help land new orders, with the manufacturer having sold 156 jets to nine operators in China over the years, with 85 still in operation.