Beijing, June 4, 2025 – The future of China’s domestically developed commercial jetliner, the COMAC C919, has been thrown into uncertainty following a U.S. decision to suspend the export of critical aviation technology, including the LEAP-1C engines that currently power the aircraft.
According to a report by The New York Times, the U.S. government halted the sale of the LEAP-1C engines—jointly developed by U.S. firm GE Aerospace and France’s Safran through their CFM International partnership—as part of a broader response to China’s restrictions on rare earth exports to the United States.
While the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC) has yet to comment, a spokesperson from the Chinese Embassy in Washington condemned the move: “China strongly opposes the U.S.’s abuse of the concept of national security and export controls to deliberately suppress and contain China’s development.”
Though the C919 is promoted as a product of China’s ambition for homegrown aviation innovation, much of its critical technology—including engines and avionics—remains reliant on Western suppliers. Without the LEAP-1C engines, the C919 program may face production delays and even potential grounding of newly manufactured jets.
As of May 28, 2025, the C919 has been in commercial operation for two years, with only 18 aircraft currently flying under carriers such as Air China, China Eastern, and China Southern. COMAC had aimed to ramp up production to 50 aircraft per year by 2025 and exceed 120 annually by 2028. That goal now appears to be at risk.
China has been developing a domestic alternative, the CJ-1000A “Yangtze” engine, through AECC’s commercial engine arm ACAE. Although test flights and development milestones have been reached—such as the CJ-1000A’s mounting on a Xian Y-20 transport aircraft in 2023—the engine is not expected to receive certification until at least 2027, with commercial deployment targeted for 2030.
Aviation analysts say the suspension of U.S. engine exports could delay China’s ambition to become self-reliant in large civil aircraft manufacturing, a field currently dominated by Boeing and Airbus. Without access to the LEAP-1C or a certified domestic alternative, COMAC may be forced to halt deliveries, leaving newly assembled aircraft idle.
This latest development marks a significant escalation in the tech tensions between the U.S. and China, with strategic industries like aerospace increasingly caught in the crossfire.
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Source: Vietnam Insider