Summary

  • China Eastern Airlines has expanded its C919 fleet by receiving its seventh aircraft of the year.
  • China Eastern is the sole user of the C919 and has ordered an additional 100 aircraft from COMAC.
  • China Eastern’s C919 fleet primarily operates flights between Shanghai and various domestic destinations, with plans to expand the fleet to ten aircraft by the end of 2024.

On July 29 at 16:25, China Eastern Airlines’ C919 aircraft, registered number B-919H, carried out the MU9006 transfer flight from Shanghai Pudong International Airport (PVG) to Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport (SHA), officially joining the China Eastern Airlines fleet. This is the third C919 aircraft received by China Eastern Airlines this year as the global launch customer of the C919. Currently, China Eastern’s C919 fleet has reached seven aircraft.

7th C919

Photo: China Eastern

China Eastern Airlines is currently the sole user of the C919 aircraft. On September 28, 2023, it signed a purchase agreement with COMAC in Shanghai to order an additional 100 C919 aircraft in addition to the initial batch of five.

On May 28 this year, on the first anniversary of the C919 commercial operation, China Eastern received its sixth C919, the first of the 100 additional orders. The seventh C919 aircraft, which has just joined the fleet, is the second of these 100 additional orders.

China Eastern’s C919 operational network

On May 28, 2023, just over five months after receiving the first C919, China Eastern used the C919 to operate a commercial flight from Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport to Beijing Capital International Airport (PEK), completing the C919’s first commercial passenger flight. This also marked the official entry of China’s self-developed commercial trunk-line aircraft into commercial operation.

China Eastern first C919

Photo: COMAC

After receiving its first three C919s, China Eastern operated flights exclusively between its base at Shanghai Hongqiao and the new Chengdu Tianfu International Airport (TFU).

Following receiving the fourth, fifth, and sixth C919s, China Eastern launched regular commercial routes from Shanghai Hongqiao to Beijing Daxing, Xi’an Xianyang, and Guangzhou Baiyun.

The domestic routes currently operated by China Eastern’s C919

Inaugural flight day

Shanghai Hongqiao (SHA) – Chengdu Tianfu (TFU)

May 29, 2023

Shanghai Hongqiao (SHA) – Beijing Daxing (PKX)

January 9, 2024

Shanghai Hongqiao (SHA) – Xi’an Xianyang (XIY)

March 8, 2024

Shanghai Hongqiao (SHA) -Guangzhou Baiyun (CAN)

June 14, 2024

Notably, in February 2024, China Eastern’s first C919 aircraft flew to Singapore Changi International Airport (SIN) to participate in the Singapore Airshow as a ground display model at the COMAC stage.

According to China Eastern’s statistics, in the first three weeks of the summer travel season in China (July 1 to August 31), the China Eastern C919 fleet operated 366 flights, transporting more than 49,000 passengers with an average load factor of 86%. As of July 28, 2024, the China Eastern C919 fleet has accumulated 3,031 flights, carrying nearly 405,000 passengers.

Scale operation of the C919

The scale operation of the C919 is of great significance in enhancing China’s competitiveness in the global aviation market. As the launch customer for the C919, China Eastern signed the first confirmed order for five C919s as early as 2021, with the last of these being delivered on March 1, 2024.

On September 28, 2023, China Eastern placed an additional order for 100 C919s. According to China Eastern, the fleet will reach ten aircraft by the end of 2024.

Meanwhile, the other two major state-owned airlines, Air China and China Southern Airlines, each ordered 100 C919s in April this year.

Related

The Last Puzzle Piece In Place: COMAC’s C919 Now Has Orders From All Of China’s Big 3 Airlines

China Southern, like China Eastern, ordered the C919 basic version, while Air China ordered the C919 extended-range version.

Photos published on the Chinese internet show that the first C919 aircraft for China Southern Airlines and Air China have recently completed painting and are about to undergo production test flights, with delivery expected soon.

This was further confirmed by China Southern Airlines’ WeChat official account. According to their July 25 news, China Southern plans to receive its first C919 aircraft by the end of August. Earlier this month, on July 10, the first batch of eight captains from China Southern completed the C919 type rating training at COMAC.

Related

China Southern Airlines’ First Group of C919 Pilots Complete Training

The first batch of C919 pilots is in place, and the delivery of China Southern Airlines’ first C919 is approaching.

What do you think about the prospects of the C919? Please share your insights with Simple Flying.

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