The Silk Road Journal by Mahika Ming

As per government sources international flights from Colombo International Airport, Ratmalana will start from 29th of January 2022. Flights from South India, Male and Bangladesh via India will be operated to and from Ratmalana Airport. Some sources were reporting that this was the first time international flights are coming to Ratmalana but aviation records say that since 1930s  flights to and from other countries have actually operated from Ratmalana. Some sources report that late Sir D.B. Jayatilleka (Sri Lanka’s first high commissioner in India) passed away on board a flight arriving in Ratmalana from India. While Sri Lanka is taking essential attempts to open to the wider world as it had done prior to 1948 for centuries using opportunities such as the ancient maritime Silk Road under the command of Admiral Zheng He, his home land China will also be adding yet another Chinese creation to facilitate global human networking along the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

China’s own creation the C919 passenger aircraft will be roaming the Silk Road sky very soon along with the most senior air travelers of the Silk Road, the Beijing Swift and the Beijing Cuckoo who travels approx. 30,000KM from China every year to and from South Africa from times immemorial.  The C919 is a creation of the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC) based in Shanghai. The C919 is said to be on par with medium range aircrafts from Airbus (A320) and Boeing (737 MAX). C919 as per COMAC has 158 - 168 seats. As per test flights since 2017 maiden flight, its standard range is approx 4,075 KM and the maximum range is approx 5,555 KM.

With C919 taking off, US aerospace manufacturer Boeing and France’s Airbus will have more competition in the commercial airline market worth trillions of USD. Analysts say it will end the duopoly in the skies but China and its friends should remember that many unexpected unfair obstacles in the sky will be orchestrated by the west to weaken the BRI similar to the harassment given to China’s Huawei. In 2002 it was reported that Chinese engineers found at least 20 bugging devices in the US made presidential plane of President Jiang Zemin of China when it returned from a routine service in the USA. When asked if he was worried President Jiang has reportedly said “I don’t talk much while on board” with a smile. China is proving on deeds and not words.

The writer is an analyst with interests in the financial and sustainable development sectors with postgraduate exposure in the Far East (mahika.ming@gmail.com).