China’s domestic single-aisle passenger jet, the C919, is manufactured by Commercial Aircraft Corp of China (Comac), which has received orders for 300 of the freshly certified aircraft. State-owned Comac listed seven Chinese leasing companies as the recipients of the aircraft.
CCB Financial Leasing, ICBC Financial Leasing, Bank of Communications Financial Leasing, China Merchants Bank Financial Leasing, Suyin Financial Leasing Seven, China National Bank Financial Leasing, and SPDB Financial Leasing are among the lucky seven. In the middle of September of this year, the Chinese Civil Aviation Administration certified the C919 as airworthy. A little more than five years after its initial flight, the aeroplane had successfully completed flight tests in late July. The aircraft has spent a total of 14 years in development.
The narrow-bodied C919 is perceived as a rival to the Boeing 737 and Airbus A320 because of their similar sizes. Given their commonalities, the three aircraft might even be able to share loading gear. As a result, an airline need not engage in dual or triple equipment to use several brands.
However, the C919 doesn’t now appear to be a threat to the two industry leaders, at least not outside of China. This suggests that it may take some time for demand to increase or for Boeing and Airbus customers to get tired of their backlogs.
After the pandemic, the single-aisle industry is still one of aviation’s largest and fastest-growing markets.
The backlog for October, according to Boeing, was 4,277 Boeing 737s. According to reports, Airbus has 6,772 A220 and A320 backlogs altogether. Airbus includes many Chinese airlines among its customers for its narrow-bodied aircraft, notably Air China, Air Guilin, Beijing Capital Airlines, Chengdu Airlines, China Eastern, China Southern, and others.
China Eastern is diligently cooperating with Comac while also expanding its Airbus fleet with over 1,000 single-aisle orders. The first C919 passenger jets are expected to arrive at the airline, which is currently the second-largest carrier in China by passenger volume behind China Southern Airlines, this year.
Considering the US’s propensity for imposing sanctions against China, conducting business across borders may prove challenging. The Aviation Industry Corporation of China, one of the C919’s stockholders, is on the US military’s naughty list in addition to the fact that it has many imported parts.
