China’s C919 jet gets R&D lift as Comac, HKUST agree to personnel partnership
- The manufacturer of China’s C919 has finalised a partnership with a Hong Kong university in a move expected to aid the jet’s development
China’s premier aircraft manufacturer has teamed up with a leading research university in Hong Kong to draw on the city’s international talent pool – an invaluable resource as the company begins to spin up production of its home-grown aircraft to meet a surge in demand.
The state-owned Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (Comac) entered into an agreement on personnel exchange and training with the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) on Monday.
Both parties will also take part in specialist exchanges, with a group of Comac technicians set to train in Hong Kong.
Zhang Xin, the Swire professor of aerospace engineering at HKUST, said the deal with Comac spans many disciplines with potential applications for aircraft design and manufacture.
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“HKUST’s manifold expertise in engineering is sought after and the deal encompasses a broad range of subjects, more than just aircraft engineering,” said Zhang, formerly Airbus professor of aircraft engineering at the University of Southampton in Britain.
