Thursday, August 22, 2024 The Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China will deliver its first-ever C919 aircraft to Air China and China Southern on Wednesday, marking a major milestone in China’s aviation industry. On Wednesday, August 28, COMAC (Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China) will deliver its inaugural C919 aircraft to both China Southern Airlines and Air China, making these carriers the second and third to receive the C919 after China Eastern Airlines. This event is a significant milestone for COMAC, the airlines involved, and China’s civil aviation sector as a whole.
The delivery ceremony, set to take place at COMAC’s Pudong manufacturing facility near Shanghai Pudong International Airport (PVG), will be attended by senior officials from COMAC, Air China, China Southern, and the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC). Earlier this month, on August 3rd and 9th, China Southern and Air China completed the maiden production test flights for their respective C919 aircraft. Air China has disclosed the cabin configuration of its C919 on its official website, highlighting a two-class arrangement with a total of 158 seats.
This includes 8 seats in business class and 150 seats in economy class, offering what is considered the most spacious cabin layout available for the C919. China Southern’s first C919 aircraft will feature a three-class configuration, comprising business class, Pearl economy class (premium economy), and economy class, with a total of 164 seats. In comparison, China Eastern’s seven delivered C919s all have a two-class layout, also with 164 seats, but with 8 seats in business class and 156 in economy class.
So far, seven C919s have been delivered. The initial C919 for China Southern Airlines carries the manufacturer serial number (MSN) 00018, while Air China’s first C919 is designated MSN 00019. These aircraft are the 12th and 13th C919s produced for customer delivery, following the first 11 C919s, which are expected to all be delivered to China Eastern Airlines.
To date, China Eastern has taken delivery of seven C919 aircraft. The airline made history on March 1, 2021, by becoming the first to place a confirmed order for the C919, securing five aircraft and establishing itself as the launch customer for the program. Even before the completion of deliveries under this initial order, China Eastern expanded its commitment with an additional order for 100 C919s on September 28 of last year.
The fifth C919 was delivered to China Eastern on March 1 of this year, marking the first C919 delivery of 2024 and fulfilling the original contract signed in 2021. Following this, China Eastern received two more C919s, with deliveries on May 27 and July 29. The sixth aircraft, delivered on May 27, also signified the beginning of the deliveries under the second, much larger order for 100 C919s.
In late April this year, Air China and China Southern Airlines, two of China’s leading aviation companies, each confirmed significant orders for 100 C919 aircraft. Notably, when these three major airlines—Air China, China Southern, and China Eastern—publicly announced their orders to the stock market, they also revealed the list prices for the C919 aircraft. China Southern and China Eastern opted for the standard version of the C919, each priced at $99 million.
In contrast, Air China selected the extended-range version, which is listed at $108 million per aircraft, making it approximately 9% more expensive than the standard model. China Eastern Airlines received its first C919 aircraft on December 9, 2022, and it was put into commercial operation nearly six months later, on May 28, 2023. Since then, the interval between aircraft delivery and their entry into commercial service has significantly decreased, now averaging around five days.
Here’s a summary of China Eastern Airlines’ C919 deliveries and the time taken to commence commercial operations: Aircraft Registration Delivery Date First Commercial Operations Date Time Interval B-919A Dec 9, 2022 May 28, 2023 170 days B-919C Jul 14, 2023 Aug 2, 2023 19 days B-919D Dec 8, 2023 Dec 13, 2023 5 days B-919E Dec 29, 2023 Jan 6, 2024 8 days B-919F Mar 1, 2024 Mar 6, 2024 5 days B-919G May 27, 2024 May 30, 2024 3 days B-919H Jul 29, 2024 Aug 3, 2024 5 days This trend highlights the increasing efficiency in transitioning the C919 from delivery to active service. Both China Southern and Air China have made extensive preparations to receive their first C919 aircraft deliveries. On July 10, China Southern Airlines announced via its official WeChat account that the initial group of eight captains had successfully completed their C919 type rating training at COMAC, making them the first pilots at the airline certified to operate the C919.
Similarly, on July 29, Air China reported that its first batch of 10 pilots had also finished their C919 type rating training at COMAC, ensuring that they are fully equipped to handle the new aircraft upon its delivery. In addition to pilot training, both China Southern Airlines and Air China have worked closely with COMAC to ensure that all necessary preparations are in place for the arrival of their C919 aircraft. This includes finalizing flight operation manuals, securing aircraft materials, setting up ground support equipment, and establishing maintenance capabilities.
As per the Civil Aviation Administration of China’s (CAAC) regulations, once an airline receives the first aircraft of a new model, it must conduct a series of validation flights to ensure the model’s safe and seamless integration into the airline’s operational system. Consequently, after the anticipated delivery on August 28, both China Southern and Air China will begin from the same starting point, vying to see which can be the second airline to bring the C919 into commercial service..
