Brazilian airline seeks to buy planes from China’s COMAC

Brazil's Total Linhas Aereas, a small cargo and charter airline, aims to become the first firm outside Asia to buy aircraft from China's state-owned planemaker, which is trying to break into a global passenger jet market dominated by Western manufacturers. Total and the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC) have been in talks for months, said the airline's controlling partner Paulo Almada, who will visit COMAC in October to discuss a potential order of up to four C919 planes. Brazilian Ports and Airports Minister Silvio Costa Filho said Total sought out the government to share its intentions, but has not presented any formal plan so far. A deal could foster closer Brazil-China ties in the aviation sector ahead of Chinese President Xi Jinping's state visit in November. Yet some industry observers have voiced skepticism about Total's business plan for the Chinese jets. "Even if Total is getting a great deal on the aircraft, its unproven reliability record and lack of support network in Brazil make it a very risky choice," PA Consulting Aviation Partner Carlos Ozores said. Total's Almada said the airline was forced to look beyond traditional Western manufacturers such as Airbus and Boeing because they were unable to meet demand for new planes as they grapple with supply chain constraints.<br/>