The day is finally here. China Eastern Airlines will operate its first-ever COMAC C919 commercial flight on Sunday, May 28th.

China Eastern's first COMAC C919 operates first commercial scheduled flight

The China-manufactured narrowbody aircraft COMAC C919 will perform its first commercial scheduled flight for its first customer, China Eastern Airlines, next Sunday, May 28th.

The first C919 commercial flight will take off as MU9191 at 10:45 Beijing time (02:45 UTC). The brand-new narrowbody aircraft will operate the Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport (SHA) to Beijing Capital Airport (PEK) route, where it is scheduled to land at 13:10 (05:10 UTC). According to the airline's app, the aircraft is expected to operate the return flight later on the same day.

The start of a new era for Chinese aviation?

The first commercial flight of the COMAC C919 is a thrilling moment for the Chinese aviation industry. Indeed, the new narrowbody aircraft could represent the overcoming of the deeply-rooted duopoly Airbus-Boeing in the worldwide airline manufacturing industry.

The narrowbody aircraft is manufactured by COMAC, the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China, the country's first state-owned aircraft manufacturer, which stemmed from China's military aviation industry. COMAC has positioned the C919 as the Eastern alternative to the Airbus A320-family and the Boeing 737 MAX.

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The C919 is a crucial project for the firm, which plans to conquer a good 20% of the Chinese single-aisle market now controlled by the Western competitors Airbus and Boeing. The C919 comes in two configurations, which seat 158 to 168 passengers and is designed to cover short/middle-haul routes.

On March 1st, 2021, China Eastern Airlines signed a purchase agreement (PA) with COMAC for the first batch of five C919s, and the first aircraft was delivered to the Chinese airline in December 2022. According to the airline, all C919 will be based at Shangai Pudong International Airport (PVG), where they will join the fleet of China Eastern's low-cost subsidiary, OTT Airlines.

Will the C919 manage to mine the Airbus-Boeing duopoly?

In the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Chinese domestic market was recovering faster than others. According to IATA, already in 2020, it represented 20% of the worldwide Revenue Passenger Kilometers (RPKs) flown in 2020, a 50% increase compared to 2019.

The solid recovery of domestic markets was a good omen for COMAC and the C919. Indeed, the narrowbody aircraft perfectly suits the need of a growing domestic market. However, so do the Airbus A320 and the Boeing 737, the direct competitors. The similarities between the Chinese aircraft and its European and American counterparts are indeed manifold. However, the first downside of the COMAC C919 is that it is highly dependent on Western components, although manufactured and assembled in China. Fundamental parts of the C919, including the airframe, avionics, and engines, are produced in Western countries.

For now, another threat for COMAC is the production rates of its direct competitors. According to the manufacturers' estimates, Boeing produces an average of 19 737 per month, whereas Airbus manufactures 45 A320-family aircraft. On the other hand, the launch of the C919 suffered a delay of six years, while 13 years is the timespan the manufacturer required for the aircraft's development phase, the longest time ever registered for a commercial jetliner. It'll be a slow journey, but COMAC has taken the first step in commercial success.

Do you think COMAC will manage to break the long-lasting Airbus-Boeing duopoly, at least in China? Let us know by clicking on the comment button below!

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  China Eastern Airlines

  IATA/ICAO Code:

  MU/CES

  Airline Type:

  Full Service Carrier

  Year Founded:

  1988

  Alliance:

  SkyTeam

  CEO:

  Liu Shaoyong

  Country:

  China

  Hub(s):

  Shanghai Pudong International Airport

  Region:

  Asia

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  Comac

  Business Type:

  Planemaker

  Date Founded:

  2008-05-11

  CEO:

  He Dongfeng

  Headquarters Location:

  Shanghai, China

  Key Product Lines:

  Comac ARJ21, Comac C919, Comac C929