Two more Chinese airlines to start flying China-made COMAC C919 jet (updated)

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28/08/2024 12:34

(Adds detail in paragraphs 2-4)
       BEIJING, Aug 28 (Reuters) - Air China  601111.SS  and
China Southern Airlines  600029.SS  will become the second and
third Chinese carriers to fly China's homegrown COMAC C919
passenger jet after receiving their first planes on Wednesday,
state-run Chinese Central TV (CCTV) said.  
    The two state-owned carriers received the C919 at Chinese
planemaker COMAC's Pudong base in Shanghai, according to CCTV.
    The C919 delivered to Air China has 158 seats, with eight
business class and 150 economy class.
    Air China and China Southern are expected to receive another
two C919 jets each this year, according to domestic media outlet
Yicai. 
    COMAC is trying to break into a passenger jet market
dominated by Western manufacturers Airbus  AIR.PA  and Boeing
 BA.N  that has been hit by aircraft shortages and a Boeing
safety crisis. 
    The C919 entered domestic service in May last year with
China Eastern  600115.SS , which flies seven of the jets
domestically. 
    China's three big state-owned airlines have each ordered 100
C919s, and COMAC has said more than 1,000 have been ordered
overall.
    The C919 seats up to 192 people and is in a similar category
to Boeing 737 MAX and Airbus A320neo planes.
    COMAC this year has increased sales and production plans and
has been marketing the C919 abroad, especially in Southeast Asia
and also to growing aviation market Saudi Arabia. 
    It is also developing a wide-body plane design. 
    Zhongtai Securities last month said it expected COMAC to be
able to produce 100 aircraft a year by around 2030, with total
jets produced exceeding 1,000 by 2035. 
    Airbus delivered 735 commercial aircraft in 2023. 
    Industry sources caution that COMAC is a long way from
making inroads internationally, especially without benchmark
certifications from the United States or European Union - which
COMAC is pursuing - or more efficient planes. 
    A forecast from aviation consultancy Cirium in May sees just
under 1,700 C919 deliveries by 2042, giving the C919 around a
25% market share compared to Boeing's 30% and Airbus's 45%. 
    The first C919 delivery to a private airline is expected by
year-end.
    Shanghai-based Suparna Airlines, a subsidiary of China's
fourth biggest carrier Hainan Airlines  600221.SS  which has 60
C919s on order, has said it eventually aims to fly only C919s. 
    China will more than double its commercial airplane fleet by
2043 and will need 8,830 new planes, Boeing's annual Commercial
Market Outlook said in July.

 (Reporting by Sophie Yu and Lisa Barrington; Editing by Miral
Fahmy and Mark Potter)
 ((Sophie.Yu@thomsonreuters.com; 861056692136;))