COMAC Recovers as U.S. Sanctions Ease

Now that US sanctions on China have eased, we can see that COMAC is recovering.

COMAC has faced US sanctions and export controls since 2020. These measures target COMAC’s alleged ties to the Chinese military and aim to curb aviation technology transfers. COMAC’s key programs—the narrowbody C919 (rival to Boeing 737 and Airbus A320), regional C909 (ARJ21 successor), and widebody C929—rely heavily on US-sourced components, including engines from CFM International (LEAP-1C for C919) and GE Aerospace (CF34-10A for C909), avionics from Honeywell and Collins Aerospace, and design software from Cadence and Synopsys. Sanctions have disrupted supply chains, delayed production, and forced COMAC toward localization efforts, though complete self-reliance

remains years away.

The supply chain disruption may have a larger impact on COMAC than on its Western rivals.  And as we see in the West, supply chain disruptions can happen overnight, and recovery can take months, if you’re lucky.