Airbus warns of impending competition from China in aircraft construction

Airbus board member René Obermann warns of impending competition from China in aircraft construction. In telecommunications, "the Chinese competition, especially Huawei, more or less conquered the global industry within a decade," said the former head of Deutsche Telekom in the "Handelsblatt". "You might call it paranoia, but I'm always worried about missing out on important technologies and trends." Aviation is increasingly being influenced by digital technologies and the entry of new competitors into the market, said Obermann. "A new, important one comes from China." There, the aircraft manufacturer Comac has developed the C919, an aircraft the size of Airbus' bestseller A320. The engines come from CFM, a joint venture between the US group General Electric and the French manufacturer Safran. The C919 made its maiden flight in 2017. The test flights for approval are now under way. If the Airbus Group wants to defend its world market leadership in aviation in 10 or 15 years, it must undertake all possible efficiency and innovation efforts, said Obermann. In view of the slump in business caused by the Corona crisis, Airbus has already started cutting thousands of jobs. In addition, the management wants to create two new companies for the assembly of aircraft structures in France and Germany and to outsource the production of individual parts. IG Metall and the German works councils are storming the plans. A far-reaching end for short-haul flights, as recently brought into play by Green Chancellor candidate Annalena Baerbock, Obermann does not consider realistic. Only a seventh of all flights from Germany are domestic flights, "the greater part is beyond 500 kilometers". This cannot be replaced by rail traffic, "because the train connections are completely inadequate". In order to connect people efficiently, one would have to lay tens of thousands of kilometers of new rails across Europe over the next few decades, said Obermann. By then, however, flying will become energy-efficient and emission-free.