China’s Comac C919 airliner has been developed in the hope of challenging the dominance of the Airbus A320neo and Boeing 737 Max families of aircraft. It entered service a year ago with launch customer China Eastern Airlines.
Over the past 12 months the aircraft has seen a slow growth, with only 5 aircraft currently in service.
Despite that, the airliner is now established on the scheduled network of China Eastern, and orders for the type continue to roll in..
S5A-0043, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
So, which airlines have ordered the Comac C919 and when will they see more deliveries?
China Eastern
The launch customer has orders for 105 Comac C919 aircraft, and options on more.
Air China
The Chinese national airline recently placed an order for 100 C919s, with further options.
China Southern Airlines
Another carrier with orders for 105 aircraft and 15 options.
Hainan Airlines
A relatively modest order for 20 aircraft was placed.
Hebei Airlines
Again, this Chinese carrier has 20 aircraft on order.
Joy Air
Similarly, Joy Air has 20 Comac C919s on order.
Sichuan Airlines
Completing the set, Sichuan has 20 aircrat on order.
Tibet Airlines
Looking to future growth from this relatively remote region, Tibet Airlines has ordered 40 C919s.
Lessor Orders
In addition to these named airlines, many different leasing companies have also placed orders for the Comac C919, with the hope of placing the aircraft with airlines around the world. In reality these are likely to be leased to Chinese airlines, including some in the list above.
Lessor orders account for 503 aircraft, plus 75 options.
When Will Deliveries Ramp Up?
While only 5 Comac C919s have been delivered at the time of writing, Comac has publicly stated its intention to ramp up to delivering 150 aircraft per year by 2028.
Recent significant orders are likely to push the manufacturer to ramp up production as soon as possible, and is likely to have provided funds to aid this.
Have you flown on the Comac C919 yet? What did you think? Leave a comment below.
