Taiwan’s leading aerospace company said on Saturday it will vie for contracts to participate in a large passenger aircraft development program announced by China’s state-run Commercial Aircraft Corp of China (CACC, 中國商用飛機公司).
“If we are awarded contracts to manufacture and design parts of the aircrafts, it would be a great benefit to Taiwan’s 55 aerospace-related companies,” Aerospace Industrial Development Corp (AIDC, 漢翔航空) chairman Shung Yeou-kuang (邢有光) said.
The CACC’s commercial aircraft development project, called Comac 919, aims to build an up-to-190-seater C919 by 2014.
The Shanghai company said it plans to holf its first flight in late 2014 and enter into service in 2016.
The Comac 919 project has attracted the attention of the world’s leading aircraft manufacturers such as Boeing and Airbus, as well as jet engine manufacturer GE, with the companies vying for contracts, Shung said.
Rebutting some legislators’ concerns that as the main fighter jets manufacturer for Taiwan’s air force, AIDC’s participation in the Comac 919 project could pose threats to Taiwan’s national defense, Shung said the company has developed mature technology in aircraft structural designs and there should not be worries about leaks of its core national defense technologies.
Shung said, however, that the company would not do business with Chinese companies without receiving approval from the government.
“Everything has to go with the government policies,” Shung said.
The AIDC has filed a proposal with the Ministry of Economic Affairs to participate in China’s project. The proposal was handed over to the Executive Yuan for review, Shung said.
If the AIDC gets government approval and is awarded the Comac 919 contracts, it will be the first time the aerospace firm will do business in China.
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