Comac C919 maxi order: in less than 10 years all Chinese airlines will have the first "homemade" aircraft in their fleet
There are only 5 Comac C919s currently in use: they are all owned by China Eastern (one of the 3 Chinese "sisters") and [...]
China Southern Airlines
Air China
SkyTeam
SHA
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I Comac C919 currently in use are only 5: owns them all China Eastern (one of the 3 Chinese "sisters") and uses them only on certain routes. But that is about to change. After the 115-unit order put in black and white just by China Eastern now there is adds that of its big sister, Air China, and that of China Southern.
It is recent news that Air China stipulated a contract with the Comac company for the purchase of as many as 100 C919s (in the long-range version). This order is estimated to be worth nearly 11 billion dollars; Comac, however-according to reports-has given discounts and concessions to Air China, so the final price is lower than the above figure. Also China Southern placed a substantial order: the other Chinese "sister" purchased 100 Comac C919s (in the standard version) for a total expenditure of nearly $10 billion.
When will the aircraft be delivered
That is the question of questions. It will take time, there is no doubt about that: just as there is no doubt that Comac is quite late with deliveries. The first specimens, probably, Will be delivered in 2025 while the others will come in stages by 2031.
The C919 is not Comac's first aircraft to be purchased by Air China and China Southern: each of the two Chinese companies, in fact, owns 25 specimens of ARJ21, aircraft that seen from the outside is reminiscent of the former MD-80 (from which, however, it differs in length and wing profile).
Which companies use the C919 and on which routes
As mentioned, the only carrier to have in its fleet and use this type of aircraft is China Eastern, the C919 launch customer. There are 5 aircraft in the fleet (the last of which was delivered just last month) and they are currently deployed to 3 destinations from Shanghai (SHA): Chengdu (TFU), Beijing (PKX) and Xi'an (XIY).
In conclusion
Will Comac also come to the West? We shall see, it is too early to tell: not least because, as of today, the C919 is only certified by the CAAC (China's Civil Aviation Administration). Of course, it would be interesting to see the meddling of a third party (incomode) in the eternal rivalry between Airbus and Boeing. As the saying goes: between the two litigants, the third enjoys. Will this always be true? Who knows. Meanwhile, in China, the challenge to the Airbus-Boeing duopoly has officially begun.
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