COMAC to debut 737 competitor C919 as Boeing handles Alaska fallout

Commercial Aircraft Corp of China Ltd., as it’s formally known, will conduct a flying display and exhibit its homegrown jet amid a push to broaden prospective sales beyond Asia’s biggest economy, the people said, declining to be identified because the information isn’t public. Singapore’s biannual air show runs from Feb. 20-25.

For China, the timing of the upcoming display by Comac couldn’t be more fortuitous for China’s ambitions to join the ranks of global aircraft manufacturers. Boeing is facing intense scrutiny over its single-aisle 737 Max jets in the wake of a plug door blowout on a brand new Max 9 jet flown by Alaska Airlines earlier this month. U.S. aviation regulators ordered Boeing late Wednesday to halt further production-rate increases for its 737 Max aircraft.

In light of Boeing’s quality issues, the U.S. planemaker isn’t planning to send any of its commercial aircraft for display in Singapore, other people said.

A representative for Boeing didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. Comac also didn’t respond to a request for comment. Organizers for the Singapore air show didn’t respond to a request for comment.

Comac has already dabbled sending its planes outside of mainland China, in December flying its only two models of jet—the C919 and smaller ARJ21—to Hong Kong. The ARJ21 will also be present at the Singapore air show.

Hong Kong Airlines, backed by HNA Group, was among airlines to tour the C919 extensively in Hong Kong. The carrier said Thursday it was “closely monitoring the progress of the C919 and assessing its potential benefits to our fleet and suitability for our operations.”

While the C919 isn’t certified by any…