Chinese Planemaker COMAC Receives Orders for 330 Jets

Chinese planemaker Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC) has secured orders from multiple leasing firms to supply a total of 330 planes, reported the local news service Yicai.

COMAC informed that 300 of the planes are narrowbody jetliner C919s and 30 are ARJ21 regional jets during the China International Aviation & Aerospace Exhibition, which is the country’s biggest airshow. The exhibition, organized by China’s Administration of Civil Aviation to promote trade talks and technological exchange, takes place in Zhuhai, in the country’s southern Guangdong province.

In July 2022, COMAC announced the completion of the C919 jetliner test flights. The C919 is China’s largest bet to supply air travel in the world’s largest market, as reported by MBN. The country’s first self-developed trunk jetliner can fit between 158 and 174 seats and has a range of 4,075-5,555 km. It is expected to compete with the Airbus 320neo family and the Boeing 737 Max variants.

For the first time, Airbus, Boeing and COMAC all had single-aisle aircraft on display at China’s airshow, which is normally biennial but the 2020 edition was delayed to 2021 by the pandemic, according to Nasdaq. Before the new orders of 300 C919 jets, COMAC had already received over 815 orders from 28 customers worldwide, most of them in China.

This Tuesday, the C919 was in the airshow’s flying display, performing sharp 45 degree turns, reported Nasdaq. Meanwhile, China Southern Airlines was operating its last Airbus A380 flight from Los Angeles to Guangzhou, according to FlightRadar24, marking the retirement of Airbus’ superjumbo from its fleet. China Southern was the last Chinese carrier to retire its A380s. Even before COVID-19, many airlines were looking to retire four-engine jets in favor of more fuel-efficient twin jets, reported SimpleFlying.

Established in 2008, COMAC has faced several challenges that are slowing down its expansion in the commercial aircraft market. Headquartered in Shanghai, the company was born as China’s bet to avoid dependency on Western plane makers Airbus and Boeing. COMAC’s first jet is the ARJ21, a 78-90 seat regional jet that was introduced in 2016 by Chengdu Airlines. By the end of 2021, COMAC had delivered 66 ARJ21 aircraft.

COMAC has faced several challenges in the last years, from technical difficulties to supply chain and political issues, reported MBN. The planemaker was impacted by restrictions imposed by the US in 2020, which blacklisted shipments of supplies such as flight controls and jet engines. While the company represents China’s bet to become independent from the West, around 60 percent of the C919 parts are supplied by US companies.