Meanwhile, China hopes to become only the sixth country to master the whole technology chain for single crystal blade casting.

A report in May, external quoted one engineer at the AECC Beijing Institute of Aeronautical Materials claiming that China now had a single crystal alloy "superior to or equivalent to the second-generation single-crystal superalloys widely used in Europe and the US". It costs less to make, too, apparently.

But the West has a "huge advantage" over China given that the majority of commercial airliner production happens there, says Sweetman. Supply chains and the latest innovations are generally clustered in the West. Plus, Western manufacturers also have lengthy safety records under their belts.

China must compete on practically every aspect of aircraft manufacturing, external – by no means just on turbine blades – in order to make serious in-roads. "You can definitely see that happening but it's a long, uphill struggle," adds Sweetman.

Demand for aircraft is currently high, which is already straining various supply chains in the industry. That demand could grow higher still, suggests Withey.

During the next few years, one of the two main aircraft manufacturers, Airbus and Boeing, could launch a new short-haul plane, external, he says. Then, the other would have to follow suit in order to remain competitive.

"There'll be a bun fight," says Withey, over who gets to supply the engines and, by extension, those all-important single crystal turbine blades.