BEIJING (Reuters) – A scaled-down edition of China’s largest airshow opened on Tuesday after some delegates were unable to attend due to the country’s zero-COVID policy, with the number of virus cases reaching a six-month high.
Organizers of Airshow China in the southern city of Zhuhai last week told attendees they had to arrive 3 days early due to virus precautions, but even then, some were prevented from entering the lounge because they visited. a major district of Beijing that had positive cases. In the past week. 3 participants told Reuters on condition of anonymity.
A China-based executive at a Western engine manufacturer said many Beijing-based delegates went home frustrated, though some were allowed in at the last minute.
Program organizers did not respond to a request for comment.
China’s zero-COVID policy has hurt its domestic aviation industry and kept foreign traffic at a small fraction of pre-pandemic levels, resulting in billions of dollars in losses for its airlines this year, even as carriers like Ryanair and Singapore Airlines operate in more open markets. Record revenues in pent-up demand.
The 0 COVID policy is one of a broader decoupling of the West in the aerospace industry, as China aims for greater autonomy and monitors the effects of strict export sanctions imposed on the Russian aviation industry due to that country’s invasion of Ukraine.
“Zhuhai is generating a lot of interest among Chinese aviation watchers, and the lack of the screen is a vital missed opportunity for those who perceive China’s opaque advertising and defense aerospace sectors,” said Greg Waldron, editor-in-chief of Singapore-based industry publication FlightGlobal. .
COMAC’s C919, the newly qualified local rival to the Airbus A320neo and Boeing 737 Max narrowbody families, is unveiled for the first time Tuesday at the flight show, making sharp 45-degree turns in front of a crowd dressed in an N-95 mask outside. . Previously, 4 J-20 stealth fighter jets entered closed formation.
The demonstration of the C919 came on the same day China Southern Airlines operated its latest Airbus A380 flight from Los Angeles to Guangzhou, according to online flight-tracking site FlightRadar24, marking the withdrawal of the European superjumbo jet from its fleet. China Southern declined to respond to a request for comment.
For the first time, Airbus, Boeing and COMAC showed single-aisle aircraft at the fair, which is biennial but held in 2021 after the pandemic delayed the 2020 edition.
The display comes amid emerging tensions between China and Taiwan after U. S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taipei in August, prompting massive Chinese military training in the region at a time when the world is also nervous about the standoff in Ukraine.
The state-run Global Times newspaper reported that a new drone defense formula built around the HQ-17AE short-range air defense missile complex will debut at the exhibition as a countermeasure to low, slow, small drones that are difficult to identify and attack. Classic anti-aircraft formulas.
China is also showcasing an FH-97A Loyal Wingman style drone designed to coordinate with manned aircraft, the Global Times reported. The aircraft is another of the FH-97 concept first introduced last year.
According to the photographs.
“Early images of the screen suggest it will once again be a major bazaar for Chinese [UAE] technology, adding what appear to be mock-ups of unmanned fighter jets that may one day accompany Chinese J-20 fighters into combat. “Waldron said. said. ” However, it can be very difficult to perceive whether the other drone models presented at the exhibition constitute genuine systems with investments from the Chinese military. “