The first Commercial Aircraft Corporation (COMAC) C919, a Chinese made narrow-body aircraft is set to be delivered to China Eastern Airlines by the end of 2021 according to local media.
China Eastern Airlines while disclosing its fleet plan, part of its half-year financial results, said it will receive one C919 this year while two more will be delivered next year and the last two C919s to be delivered in 2023.
The aircraft is reportedly entering the final assembly process at the manufacturer’s Shanghai factory and will give the Chinese public the possibility to fly on a new domestically-produced airplane.
The government of China has been supporting the COMAC program since its inception in 2008 with the aircraft completing its maiden flight in 2017. Technical difficulties have pushed back its timing multiple times.
A recent forecast by Boeing highlighted that the global narrow-body aircraft market will need more than 32,500 new aircraft by 2040 with COMAC positioned to compete and rival with the Airbus A320 and the Boeing 737 jets.
Currently the aircraft has over 900 orders, of which three hundred and fifty are confirmed orders with GE Capital Aviation Services (GECAS) the only company outside China with an order of 10 C919s.
The C919 was initially set to be powered by the CFM International LEAP-1C engine, the same manufacturer who makes engines for the Boeing 737 Max and Airbus A320neo.
China has also been pushing forward the development of the CJ1000, a turbofan jet engine designed to power the homemade C919 narrow-body aircraft, the government said in its development plan for the 2021-2025 period in May this year.
By Victor Shalton Odhiambo
