It was only May when I wrote here on FlightsMilesAndPoitns.com about the unique almost combined announcement by Air China and China Southern each placing an order for Comac C919 planes. A few short months later the first aircraft deliveries take place already.
Comac Delivers Air China and China Southern’s First C919s
Exactly as hapened when the order whas announced, the delivery ceremony of Air China and China Southern’s first Comac C919s happened simultaneously. Both airlines received their first aircraft of the type on August 28th 2024. Once again you could read it as a signal of how this order was in some way ordered by a higher authority.
While the two planes are both Comac C919s, the Air China one is slightly different. Air China received an ER (extended range) version of the jet. A plane with slightly larger tanks and a less dense seat configuration, featuring:
- 8 Business Class seats
- 150 Economy Class seats
On the other hand the China Southern C919 is the standard model, setup in a 3 class configuration featuring:
- 8 Business Class Seats
- 18 Premium Economy Seats
- 138 Economy Class Seats
The planes were delivered to the airlines in rapidly, compared to what is customary with other aircraft manufacturers. That in my eyes is an indication of how light the order book is for these planes. A maufacturer with a healthily filled order book would never be able to deliver a plane within 4 months.
With Air China and China Southern using the aircraft operators of the type go up to 3. The first airline to adopt the C919 being China Eastern.
Will We Ever See Any Non-Chinese Airlines Operate The Plane?
In the short term it is very unlikely to see it in use outside of China. I think it will be used in greater numbers on domestic routes in a sort of prooving and promotional period. The Chinese government needs and wants to proove that the C919 is a viable option even for carriers outside of China. Possible clients for the plane outside of China are airlines in certain southeast Asian countries and Africa.
The ambition for the CCP is to make of the country a major civil aircraft producer. To do so it must promote its products as it is doing by getting the country’s 3 largest carriers to operate its most advanced aircraft. To really become a majore player in civil aircraft production China will need to develop its own technology as the C919 still relies heavily on western manufactured components. That step is still quite a bit down the road.
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