China’s COMAC receives over 1,000 large passenger jet orders

Orders for China’s homegrown C919 jet has reached 1,061, said He Dongfeng, board chairman of the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China, Ltd. (COMAC), at the 16th Pujiang Innovation Forum on Sunday.

According to the aircraft maker, which developed the C919 and ARJ21 jetliners, China’s domestically-produced passenger aircraft sector has initially formed a product lineup ranging from regional aircraft, short- to medium-haul narrow-body aircraft, to long-haul wide-body aircraft.

In December 2022, China Eastern Airlines – the inaugural customer of C919 – received deliveries and started its commercial operations in May 2023.

Two aircraft are actively serving on the air route between Shanghai and Chengdu operated by China Eastern.

A total of 112 ARJ21 jetliners, the country’s first homegrown regional airliner, have been put into service, and the number of orders has reached 775.

As Indonesia became its first overseas customer, the ARJ21 jetliner not only flies within Indonesia, but has also opened routes from Indonesia to Malaysia and Singapore, safely accommodating 8.6 million passengers, said He.

He also mentioned C929, the company’s first intercontinental jetliner, saying it is currently in the preliminary design stage. With 250 to 350 seats fitted, the plane will cover a range of 12,000 kilometers.