Summary
- Eight China Southern Airlines pilots completed C919 training with a 100% pass rate.
- China Southern ordered 100 C919 aircraft, becoming the last major Chinese airline to do so.
- The first C919 delivery to China Southern Airlines may be in August 2024.
According to the official WeChat account of the China Southern Airlines pilot team, on July 10, the first batch of eight captains from China Southern Airlines successfully completed the C919 type rating training at Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC), becoming the first China Southern Airlines pilots to obtain the C919 type rating.
Photo: COMAC
According to reports, during the 38-day C919 type training, these eight pilots from China Southern Airlines achieved a 100% pass rate in the flight performance assessment, system theory assessment, and simulator training equipment assessment.
The C919 type training for the first batch of eight China Southern Airlines pilots began on May 14, 2024, and was completed on July 10.
Photo: COMAC
At the graduation ceremony, Yang Yuanyuan, former administrator of the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC), delivered a speech expressing hope that China Southern Airlines C919 pilots would
“Set lofty goals as engineer pilots, make every effort to advance the domestic civil aircraft industry, and become industry benchmarks promoting the development of domestic civil aircraft.”
Gao Fei, Deputy General Manager of China Southern Airlines Group, stated:
“China Southern Airlines will continue to increase investment in safety, operations, and flight training, deepen cooperation with COMAC, and strive to build a platform for joint construction, governance, and sharing, jointly opening a new chapter in the development of the domestic large aircraft industry and making the large aircraft industry better and better.”
The representative of the eight pilots, Cui Wei, said at the ceremony:
“We will strive to enhance our professional capabilities, inherit the pioneering, pragmatic, and truth-seeking spirit of the older generation of pilots, and through our efforts, continue to extend and flourish the spirit of the older generation of civil aviation personnel on domestic civil aircraft, contributing to the development of the domestic civil aircraft industry with the strength of China Southern Airlines.”
China Southern Airlines nears delivery of its first C919
On April 29 this year, China Southern Airlines announced in a statement to the Hong Kong Stock Exchange that it had signed an order for 100 C919 large passenger aircraft with the COMAC, with a catalog price of USD 9.9 billion. With this order, China Southern became the last of China’s three major state-owned airlines to sign an order for the C919.
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China Southern, like China Eastern, ordered the C919 basic version, while Air China ordered the C919 extended-range version.
Unlike China Eastern Airlines, which was the launch customer for the C919, both Air China and China Southern Airlines only formally signed their orders for 100 C919 aircraft this April. Prior to this, China Eastern Airlines had already received four C919 aircraft, with the first delivered in 2022 and three more in 2023.
Unlike China Eastern Airlines, which was the launch customer for the C919, both Air China and China Southern Airlines only formally signed their orders for 100 C919 aircraft this April. Prior to this, China Eastern Airlines had placed two orders for the C919: five aircraft in 2021 and 100 aircraft in September 2023. Additionally, it has already received four C919 aircraft before the end of April 2024, with the first delivered in 2022 and three more in 2023.
Photo: China Eastern Airlines
During the China Southern Airlines’ Q1 2024 earnings briefing on April 30, China Southern Group’s General Manager Han Wensheng revealed that the airline had been in communication with COMAC and expected to introduce its first C919 aircraft in August this year.
Now, in the blink of an eye, it is already July, and the first batch of pilots has completed their C919 type rating training as scheduled. Will we see the delivery of China Southern Airlines’ first C919 next month? Please share your thoughts with Simple Flying.