A small Brazilian airline could break a barrier by becoming the first Western customer for the Chinese airliner COMAC C919.
According to a Reuters report, Total Linhas Aéreas has been in talks with COMAC for months and plans to order up to four aircraft from the Boeing 737 and Airbus A320 rival.
Operating mainly in cargo and charter transport, Total has a fleet of just four 737-400Fs and one ATR 42-500 turboprop, but its controlling shareholder plans to visit COMAC’s facilities in October to discuss the potential order.
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The talks take place on the eve of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to Brazil in November. The two countries are major trading partners and members of BRICS, which also includes South Africa, India and Russia.
Total’s controlling shareholder, Paulo Almada, justified the Chinese alternative in light of Boeing and Airbus’ production restrictions.
Regarding Embraer, the chief executive said that slots will only be available from 2026 onwards and the E195-E2 does not have more than 150 seats.
The C919 is normally configured with a cabin with around 164 seats and the first aircraft could be delivered from March 2025.
No type certificate in the West
Total’s interest in the C919 is viewed with skepticism by analysts interviewed by the news agency, who fear that the technical support has not yet been tested.
But there are other factors, such as the lack of a type certification in the West. For now, the aircraft, which has only nine jets in service, has only been approved by the CAAC, the Chinese civil aviation authority.
Certification by EASA is underway and the manufacturer expects approval next year. Since the European agency works in conjunction with the FAA and the Brazilian ANAC, in theory the process would be easier if approval were granted in Europe.
The Brazilian government sees the potential deal as a milestone that could reopen the Chinese market for Embraer aircraft.
The aircraft manufacturer has already sold its E-Jets in China and even produced the ERJ 145 and its executive version in partnership with the Chinese company Harbin, but there have been no orders from Chinese companies for many years.
The E2 family was recently awarded type certification by the CAAC, but so far no deal has been closed.
