China Eastern Airlines inks deal with COMAC for purchase of 5 C919 planes

China Eastern Airlines, the first customer for China's home-built C919 jets, on Monday purchased five narrow-body aircraft from State-owned Commercial Aircraft Corp of China.

"This is officially the first order we have received for C919 jets globally. It marks another step in the commercial operations of China-made aircraft," said He Dongfeng, president of COMAC.

Since its maiden flight on May 5,2017, six C919 prototypes are carrying out the necessary test flights for airworthiness certification. The six jets are in the final stage of their respective tasks, said He.

"China Eastern will have a new jet in its fleet in the near future. From a pilot's perspective, the China-made C919 would be the aircraft that I would want to fly the most," said Liu Shaoyong, chairman of China Eastern Airlines.

The five jets will join China Eastern's more than 750 aircraft in the coming years, and they would be responsible for flights from Shanghai to places like Beijing, Guangzhou and Shenzhen of Guangdong province, Chengdu of Sichuan province, Xiamen of Fujian province, Wuhan of Hubei province and Qingdao of Shandong province, said Liu.

The first C919 is scheduled for delivery within the year, Yang Zhigang, chief technology officer for research and development at COMAC, told ThePaper.cn earlier this year.

In addition to the confirmed five jets, the contract signed between COMAC and China Eastern also includes the purchase intent for 15 more such aircraft, said Zhang Xiaoguang, director of marketing division with COMAC.

The twin-engine, single-aisle C919, which is comparable to the updated Airbus 320 and Boeing's new generation 737 planes, has received 815 orders from 28 Chinese and overseas companies, said Zhang.

China Eastern will complete all the necessary requirements for its commercial operations as soon as possible after the delivery said Wang Yongqin, deputy general manager of China Eastern's planning and development division.

Last year, China Eastern created OTT Airlines, or One Two Three Airlines, for operating China's homegrown aircraft, the ARJ21 and the C919. In December, OTT debuted its first commercial flight with an ARJ21 aircraft flying between Shanghai and Beijing.

The collaboration between China Eastern and COMAC for the C919 can be traced back to 2010, when the two signed a letter of intent for C919 purchases. In 2016, China Eastern became the C919's first global client under an operation framework agreement.

China Eastern has been a part of the entire C919 design, research and development process. It provided the first crew for the jet model, as well as suggestions on operating and maintaining the aircraft. The two parties plan to further expand their cooperation for C919 commercial operations in the future.

Both the C919 and the ARJ 21(which stands for Advanced Regional Jet for the 21st Century) are developed and manufactured by COMAC in accordance with international standards, and equipped with state-of-the-art, sophisticated features.

With the participation of the C919, China Eastern also expects to further enhance its market share in major domestic destinations. The carrier, which boasts of having one of the youngest aircraft fleet, operates a global aviation network to 1,036 destinations in 170 countries.