US Halts Aviation Exports to China’s COMAC, Impacting C919 Plans

The United States has suspended certain export licenses for the sale of critical aviation components, including jet engines, to China’s state-owned Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC), potentially delaying the development of its C919 commercial aircraft. 

This move affects US suppliers of technologies such as the LEAP-1C engine, manufactured by a joint venture between GE Aerospace and France's Safran.

The decision, reported by The New York Times and confirmed by a US Commerce Department statement, is part of an ongoing review of strategically sensitive exports to China. “In some cases, Commerce has suspended existing export licenses or imposed additional license requirements while the review is pending,” the department noted.

The action follows China’s recent restrictions on the export of critical minerals to the United States. While no official connection has been acknowledged, sources told The New York Times that the US suspension is perceived as a response to China’s mineral export controls.

The restrictions specifically target aviation technologies linked to COMAC’s C919 project. Designed to compete with the Airbus A320 and Boeing 737, the C919 relies heavily on imported components. Its propulsion system depends on the LEAP-1C engine, as COMAC has yet to develop a domestic alternative.

“China firmly opposes the United States overstretching the concept of national security, abusing export controls, and maliciously blocking and suppressing China,” said a spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in Washington.

COMAC has not issued a public statement regarding the export measures.