China’s first woman jet designer Zhao Chunling champions homegrown wide-body aircraft to rival Boeing and Airbus

With 15 years of experience in passenger aircraft manufacturing, Zhao is working to deliver a homegrown airliner that matches western-made jets.

"The 'Golden Time' for the nation's passenger-aircraft-manufacturing industry has come," she had said at the Summit on Women Scientists at the Pujiang Innovation Forum in Shanghai in September 2023. "I will work relentlessly for the development of this industry."

Zhao graduated in 1991 from Northwestern Polytechnical University in Xi'an. After graduation, she joined an optoelectronics research institute in Luoyang, Henan Province, that is affiliated with the state-owned Aviation Industry Corporation of China, according to South China Morning Post.

Over the next 18 years she contributed to the development of propulsion control and electro-optical systems and rose to the position of deputy chief designer. She then joined the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC) in 2009, a year after its founding.

At the company’s Shanghai Aircraft Design and Research Institute, she contributed to the development of avionics systems for the C919, a narrow-body passenger jet, and served as deputy chief designer of the ARJ21, a regional jet.

Zhao Chunling. Photo from the 2024 Annual Avionics International Forum

For the C919, designed to compete with Boeing 737 and Airbus A320, Zhao spearheaded the development of a new display and crew alert system that, according to a COMAC document, is arguably more advanced than those used in the bestselling western models.

She also helped design a cockpit dashboard for the C909 that created a dark, quiet environment to help pilots concentrate and respond to emergencies. She also played a key role in benchmarking the C919’s performance against international standards, leading a team of over 100 engineers working non-stop during the early days of the Covid pandemic.

The C919 completed its maiden commercial flight in May 2023. By 2024 over 117 ARJ21 jets have been delivered to more than 10 clients, including international operators, carrying more than 10 million passengers, according to Women of China publication.

"The most distinct feature of commercial aircraft is their high security," Zhao said, sharing her experience in large aircraft development.

"The lifespan of a commercial aircraft should be at least 30 years, or 90,000 flight hours. Airlines expect aircraft to fly eight hours, or more, per day to realize its commercial value. It is a challenging task for commercial aircraft designers to ensure their products are safe and reliable and have a long life expectancy."

In 2003 Zhao was appointed chief designer of the C929. "As a woman scientific and technological worker, and jetliner designer, it is my responsibility to have large domestic passenger aircraft soaring in the sky," she said at the 2023 Shanghai forum.

A source close to the company said: "Appointing a veteran technician as the C929 chief reflects Comac’s consideration of a smooth transition of talent and resources to expedite the design and development of a Chinese answer to lucrative Western twin-aisle models like the 787 Dreamliner.

"The many designs and experience gained from developing smaller models can be readily applied to the C929."

At a December 2023 seminar with science and engineering students at Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Zhao said the aircraft would feature aerodynamic efficiency, advanced fly-by-wire flight control for extreme weather conditions, and smart cabin design for passenger comfort.

She added that commercial viability and profitability were also key priorities, as the model is intended for both domestic and global markets. Zhao and her team have completed the overall design of the C929, which is expected to carry up to 440 passengers and fly up to 12,000 km, roughly the distance from Shanghai to New York, Chinese media reported last month.

Prototypes are under development, and domestic suppliers are expected to begin delivering major components, including the first fuselage middle section, by 2027.

"The positions, the roles, and the challenges changed over time, but my passion for aviation and my fearless determination have never wavered," she told Xinhua.