Bloomberg comments: "Last week, the Commercial Aviation Corp. of China Ltd. announced that the C919, China's first homemade large passenger jet, had chalked up its 730th pre-order. Those numbers won't necessarily make the Boeing Co. or Airbus SE quake; Boeing estimates Chinese airlines alone will require 5,420 new single-aisle planes by 2036. Ultimately, though, they could herald the end of global aviation's great duopoly. Most of the C919's orders come from state-owned Chinese companies, some of whom probably wouldn't have placed them if given a choice... The plane is cheap, though -- reportedly 10 percent less expensive than the competition -- and designed to be good enough not just for China but other emerging markets where air travel is booming and regulations are less strict than in the developed world. The hope is that cost-conscious carriers in Africa and Asia will embrace a plane that they can afford and that does most of what they need, even if its technology isn't cutting-edge... If Boeing and Airbus are likely to retain their preeminent positions, the developing world should provide enough demand for Comac to become a reasonable third alternative for many buyers. According to the International Air Transport Association, global air passenger growth will nearly double over the next 20 years, with the bulk coming from Asia-Pacific."