Chinese airliner COMAC C919 celebrates two years in service
COMAC and China Eastern Airlines on Wednesday celebrated the second anniversary of commercial operations of the C919, the country’s most advanced narrow-body commercial jet.
With a current fleet of 19 aircraft, the C919 is still a celebrity at Chinese airports, but is expected to become more common in the coming years.
The Shanghai-based state-owned manufacturer plans to complete 50 aircraft this year and ramp up production over the next decade.
A rival to the Airbus A320 and Boeing 737, the C919 has been taking over the space of Western jets. It can carry between 160 and 170 passengers and is currently operated by China’s three largest carriers.
China Eastern was the launch customer exactly two years ago, with a flight between Shanghai and Beijing. It has the largest fleet of C919s, with ten jets, but has not received any new aircraft in 2025.
China Southern Airlines has five jets of the type, two of which were delivered in recent weeks. Air China flies three C919s, but all three have at least 100 aircraft on order.
Awaiting EASA certification
In addition to the three airlines, a C919 previously scheduled for Suparna Airlines was registered with the registration B-658M and delivered to COMAC Express, a division of the manufacturer.
According to COMAC, the C919 fleet has already accumulated more than 28,000 flight hours and completed more than 11,400 flights, carrying 1.57 million passengers.
In addition to the hundreds of orders, the Chinese manufacturer is working on EASA certification of the C919, but the European civil agency said that the process will still take a few years.
When that happens, the aircraft will be able to compete for customers in more global markets with the 737 and A320.
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