China News Network, September 9 (Zhongxin Financial Reporter Ge Cheng) Zhongxin Finance learned from China Eastern Airlines that as the world's first user of the C28 large passenger aircraft, China Eastern Airlines signed a purchase agreement with COMAC in Shanghai on the 919th. In addition to the first batch of 28 signed in 2021, China Eastern Airlines will order 5 additional C100 large passenger aircraft.
The signing of the above agreement means that the C919 large passenger aircraft has received the largest single order to date, China Eastern has also become the world's largest user of the current C919 large passenger aircraft, and the commercial procurement, delivery and operation of the large-scale and large fleet of domestic large aircraft C919 have been fully launched.
On August 8, China Eastern Airlines' second domestically produced C2 large passenger aircraft registered as B-919C took off from Shanghai Hongqiao Airport. Photo by Yin Liqin, reporter of China News Agency
It carried more than 3,5 passengers
It is reported that the C919 is China's first large passenger aircraft independently developed in accordance with internationally accepted airworthiness standards and has independent intellectual property rights. On December 2022, 12, China Eastern officially received the world's first C9 aircraft from COMAC. On July 919, 2023, China Eastern Airlines took delivery of the second C7 large passenger aircraft, and commercial operations progressed steadily.
China Eastern Airlines introduced that since China Eastern successfully completed the first commercial flight of C2023 on May 5, 28, as of September 919, China Eastern Airlines' two C9 aircraft have flown a total of 26,2.919 hours of safe flights, including 1140.15 hours of commercial operation, and a total of 867 commercial flights, with an average load factor of more than 19% and carrying more than 296,73 passengers.
From the perspective of various operating data, the two C2s are in normal operational technical condition, safe flight performance is good, and the overall performance is basically in line with the company's expectations. China Eastern Airlines also cooperates with COMAC and other relevant parties to continuously optimize and improve various process details to help large aircraft "fly better and better".
Deliveries are planned for batches over the next 8 years
China Eastern Airlines said that the current fleet size of China Eastern Airlines exceeds 800, according to the fleet renewal plan, from 2024 to 2031, more than 200 narrow-body passenger aircraft are expected to withdraw from the fleet, it is necessary to carry out capacity reserves in advance to better cope with future market demand and industry competition, and the introduction of mainstream narrow-body passenger aircraft is one of the important means.
Based on the huge potential of China's civil aviation market, the needs of China Eastern's own fleet renewal, and the early commercial operation performance of C919, purchasing C919, expanding the size of C919 fleet, and achieving higher quality large-scale operation have become better choices.
According to the plan, the C919 purchased by China Eastern Airlines will be delivered in batches from 2024 to 2031. Of these, 2024 are planned for delivery in 5, 2025 per year from 2027 to 10, 2028 per year from 2030 to 15, and 2031 in 20. In the future, China Eastern Airlines may adjust the specific introduction time and type of aircraft under the aircraft transaction according to market conditions and the company's capacity planning.
China Eastern Airlines said that after the introduction of the new batch of C919s, it will be mainly put into the main base market of China Eastern Airlines and important business and tourism trunk markets, continuously expanding market influence and establishing a good user reputation, so as to achieve a win-win situation of domestic civil aircraft and China Eastern Airlines' own high-quality development. (End)