The Impact of the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC) in the Aircraft Manufacturer Industry

Abstract

The aircraft manufacturer industry is a global duopoly with two key players. This trend has been consolidated over many years. Recently, there has been an emergence of manufacturers from emerging countries that have either entered a specific niche or are developing a strategy to be a player on a global scale. The Chinese state-owned COMAC is one of those new entrants. This paper evaluates the environment of this industry, the economic opportunities of a new entrant and the strategy being pursued by this company. The analysis shows that this is a highly specialised market, which the most likely will continue to be dominated by certain parties although if one considers that the new entrant can specialise as well as receive the benefits of substantial government subsidies could cost some disruption in the normal operation of the aerospace industry.