Summary
- China Eastern Airlines received its fifth C919 aircraft and launched 3 regular routes by March 2024.
- The airline signed a brand new order for 100 C919 aircraft from COMAC with deliveries planned until 2031.
- More routes and aircraft are expected for China Eastern Airlines in the approaching years with the C919 fleet growth.
Because the launch customer of COMAC’s C919, China Eastern Airlines received its fifth C919 aircraft earlier this month (March 2nd). Six days after receiving this aircraft, China Eastern Airlines launched its third regular business route operated by the C919 aircraft, flying between Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport (SHA) and Xi’an Xianyang International Airport (XIY).
On March eighth, all five C919 aircraft of China Eastern Airlines operated necessary hub routes inside China. Departing from Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport (SHA), these flights not only included round trips to Xi’an Xianyang International Airport (XIY) but additionally various flights to and from Chengdu Tianfu International Airport (TFU) and Beijing Daxing International Airport (PKX).
Photo: Su Wu | Easy Flying
China Eastern Airlines’ C919 Fleet
As early as March 1st, 2021, China Eastern Airlines signed a purchase order contract for five C919 aircraft with COMAC, becoming the launch user of China’s domestically-developed large civil aircraft.
Eighteen months after the signing, on December ninth, 2022, China Eastern Airlines received its first C919 aircraft, also the primary globally delivered C919 aircraft. Subsequently, on July 14th, 2023, December ninth, 2023, January 2nd, 2024, and March 2nd, 2024, it received 4 more C919 aircraft, bringing the present C919 fleet size to five aircraft and fulfilling the primary purchase contract.
![China Eastern 1st COMAC C919 Delivery](https://static1.simpleflyingimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/gettyimages-1447866674.jpg)
Historic Day: COMAC Delivers The first C919 To China Eastern
The carrier is the launch customer for the primary homegrown Chinese narrowbody aircraft designed to disrupt the Airbus and Boeing duopoly.
During this era, on September twenty eighth, 2023, China Eastern Airlines signed a second purchase agreement with COMAC, adding one other order of 100 C919 large passenger aircraft on top of the initial 5. This order represents the biggest C919 order COMAC has received up to now.
![image](https://static1.simpleflyingimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/image.png)
China Eastern Signs Agreement To Buy 100 COMAC C919s
The order marks the biggest for the kind and adds to China Eastern Airline’s existing order of 5.
In line with information released by China Eastern Airlines, the newly signed order for 100 C919 aircraft will likely be delivered in batches from 2024 to 2031. Amongst them, 5 aircraft are planned for delivery in 2024, 10 aircraft per 12 months from 2025 to 2027, 15 aircraft per 12 months from 2028 to 2030, and 20 aircraft in 2031.
12 months |
The expected variety of C919 aircraft to be received every year |
The fleet size of China Eastern Airlines’ C919 |
---|---|---|
2024 |
7 (two have been received until March 2nd, but they belong to the receiving tasks of 2023) |
10 |
2025 |
10 |
20 |
2026 |
10 |
30 |
2027 |
10 |
40 |
2028 |
15 |
55 |
2029 |
15 |
70 |
2030 |
15 |
85 |
2031 |
20 |
105 |
China Eastern Airlines’ C919 Routes
After receiving the primary C919 large passenger aircraft on December ninth, 2022, China Eastern Airlines accomplished the primary business flight of the C919, the round-trip flight from Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport (SHA) to Beijing Capital International Airport (PEK), on May twenty eighth, 2023, after greater than half a 12 months of preparation.
Compared to the symbolic significance of the inaugural flight, ranging from the following day (May twenty ninth), China Eastern Airlines deployed the primary C919 (B-919A) on the Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport (SHA) to Chengdu Tianfu International Airport (TFU) route, initiating regular business operations.
Photo: China Eastern Airlines
After receiving the second C919 (B-919C) in July 2023, China Eastern Airlines commenced dual-aircraft operations on the Shanghai to Chengdu route on August 4th, 2023, leading to a 57% increase within the variety of flights and available seats on the Shanghai-Chengdu route.
Upon receiving the fourth C919 (B-919E) in January 2024, China Eastern Airlines opened the business flight route between Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport (SHA) and Beijing Daxing International Airport (PKX) on January ninth, 2024, marking the second regular business route for China Eastern’s C919.
![C919 in Hong Kong](https://static1.simpleflyingimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/c919-in-hong-kong.jpg)
China Eastern Introduces COMAC C919 On Beijing-Shanghai Flights
China Eastern Airlines is deploying the C919 aircraft on China’s busiest air routes.
Upon receiving the fifth C919 (B-919F) in March 2024, as shown in Cirium, China Eastern Airlines opened the business flight route between Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport (SHA) and Xi’an Xianyang International Airport (XIY) on January ninth, 2024, marking the third regular business route for China Eastern’s C919.
In line with data from Cirium, in January 2024, with 4 C919 aircraft concurrently in operation, China Eastern Airlines operated a complete of 268 flights, providing 43,416 seats and 41,664,044 available seat miles (ASMs). The information for February shows 230 flights, 37,260 seats, and 34,016,436 ASMs. In March, as a result of the addition of flights from Shanghai to Xi’an, the variety of flights increased to 366.
Similarly, in response to data from Cirium, from April to October 2024, China Eastern Airlines will proceed to operate on routes from Shanghai to Chengdu and from Shanghai to Beijing Daxing, while ceasing operations on the Shanghai to Xi’an route. The variety of flights will even be roughly equal to the degrees in January and February. This data doesn’t keep in mind foreseeable fleet growth. And it is extremely likely that C919 aircraft will proceed to operate on the Shanghai to Xi’an route after April.
Photo: COMAC
C919 Future Latest Routes
For China Eastern Airlines, the 2 C919 aircraft received in January and March of this 12 months are a part of the primary purchase agreement. As mentioned earlier, China Eastern Airlines signed a brand new contract with COMAC last 12 months for 100 C919 aircraft. Due to this fact, the following C919 aircraft to be received by China Eastern Airlines will likely be the primary aircraft under the brand new contract, marking the start of a brand new chapter in China Eastern Airlines’ rapid acquisition of C919 aircraft.
![C919 in Hong Kong](https://static1.simpleflyingimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/c919-in-hong-kong.jpg)
China Eastern Introduces COMAC C919 On Beijing-Shanghai Flights
China Eastern Airlines is deploying the C919 aircraft on China’s busiest air routes.
In line with the terms of the brand new contract, China Eastern Airlines will receive five C919 aircraft within the remaining nine months of this 12 months. Ranging from next 12 months, for 3 consecutive years, China Eastern Airlines might want to receive 10 C919 aircraft every year. Because of this ranging from this 12 months, receiving one C919 aircraft each one to 2 months will turn into the norm for China Eastern Airlines.
Corresponding to the continual receipt of recent aircraft, it’s foreseeable that China Eastern Airlines will even constantly open up latest routes for the C919. It’s also foreseeable that the C919 will appear on routes to other medium and small-sized airports. China Eastern Airlines may additionally establish a second C919 base along with Hongqiao Airport. Moreover, within the near future, the C919 may appear on international routes operated by China Eastern Airlines.
As C919 aircraft have increasingly turn into a typical sight on routes within the foreseeable future, would you be willing to fly aboard a C919? Please share your opinion with Easy Flying.