Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC): New Milestones in the C919 Large Aircraft Program

Moving Forward with Large Aircraft Commercialization

Shanghai, China--(Newsfile Corp. - November 8, 2024) - Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China Ltd. (COMAC) announced new progress in the C919 large passenger aircraft program, a product of China's independent research and development efforts. By the end of September 2024, China Eastern Airlines ("China Eastern") had safely transported over 500,000 passengers on the C919 aircraft. Additionally, Air China International Corp. ("Air China") and China Southern Airlines ("China Southern") each placed an order for 100 additional C919 aircraft with COMAC and received their first deliveries, marking the official entry of the C919 into a new phase of multi-user operations. Furthermore, COMAC's ARJ21 aircraft achieved significant milestones this year, successfully completing demonstration flights around Southeast Asia and the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, making progress in opening new routes in Xinjiang, and launching its first cargo flight on a newly opened Central Asia route. These achievements highlight the accelerating pace of COMAC's large aircraft production, the continuous emergence of innovative achievements, and the enhanced core capabilities of the primary manufacturer.

C919 Sees Significant Expansion in Customer Base

On the evening of August 28, at COMAC's Final Assembly and Manufacturing Center in Pudong, reporters witnessed the ceremonial unveiling of the first C919 aircraft for Air China, decorated with the Chinese national flag, alongside the first C919 aircraft for China Southern Airlines, featuring the red kapok flower design. Both aircraft were formally delivered to their respective airlines. With Air China and China Southern now joining China Eastern-China's first airline to commence commercial operations with the domestically produced C919-the "Big Three" Chinese airlines now all operate the C919. This milestone marks the entry of China's large passenger aircraft into a new phase of multi-user, multi-fleet commercial operations.

Data indicates that Air China's first C919 aircraft is an extended-range model, configured with a 158-seat, two-class layout, comprising 8 business class seats and 150 economy seats. China Southern Airlines' first C919 is a standard-range model, featuring a 164-seat, three-class layout, including 8 business class seats, 18 premium economy seats, and 138 economy seats. Both aircraft are equipped with customized cabin seating and other facilities, offering individual charging ports at each seat, with seat pitch superior to comparable foreign models, ensuring a convenient and comfortable flying experience for passengers. Following delivery, both Air China and China Southern are required to conduct 25 hours of empty aircraft verification flights before officially launching commercial passenger operations.

A Great Aircraft is Built and Proven in Flight

The C919 large passenger aircraft is China's first domestically developed jet airliner designed in accordance with internationally recognized airworthiness standards, with independent intellectual property rights. It offers a seating capacity of 158 to 192 seats and a range of 4,075 to 5,555 kilometers. The aircraft completed final assembly and rolled off the production line on November 2, 2015, made its successful maiden flight on May 5, 2017, and was officially launched for commercial operations on May 28, 2023, with China Eastern Airlines as the world's first airline operator.

On September 1 this year, Mr. Lu, a passenger on China Eastern Airlines flight MU9188 from Chengdu Tianfu to Shanghai Hongqiao, became the 500,000th passenger on the C919, receiving a special surprise from the flight crew to celebrate the milestone. As of now, China Eastern's C919 fleet has accumulated over 10,000 safe flight hours, completed more than 3,700 commercial flights, and carried over 500,000 passengers. The China Eastern C919 team has worked closely with COMAC, seamlessly integrating years of flight experience into the aircraft's continuous upgrades, thus laying a solid foundation for the successful operation of the C919 by Air China and China Southern.

In addition to the significant orders from Air China and China Southern, Hainan Airlines' subsidiaries, Suparna Airlines and Urumqi Air, have collectively ordered 60 C919 aircraft. Suparna Airlines announced that it will receive its first C919 aircraft in the fourth quarter of this year, making it the world's first private airline to operate the C919.

A great aircraft is not only built, but also proven in flight. "Today's successful delivery signals the thriving development and prosperous future of the large aircraft industry," said He Dongfeng, Chairman of COMAC. "This aircraft represents our collective achievement." Looking ahead, COMAC will steadfastly advance the large aircraft program and embark on a new journey toward the industrialization of large aircraft. As the C919's scaled operations continue to expand, its role as a model of innovation and its brand influence will grow. The C919 will be delivered to more customers, serve more routes, cover more regions, and serve more passengers, bringing fresh vitality to China's civil aviation and the global aviation industry.

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