The conglomerate HNA Aviation Group and Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC) agreed on the purchase of 60 C919 aircraft and a letter of intent for 40 ARJ 21. The signing took place at COMAC’s facilities at Shanghai/Pudong International Airport (SVG).
The 60 C919s will be split between two Hainan Group airlines: Urumqi Air and Suparna Airlines. Coincidentally, both operate models from American manufacturer Boeing. However, it is not yet determined which of the eleven airlines in the conglomerate will receive the ARJ 21s.
Second airline to operate COMAC C919
It is the most important passenger aircraft from COMAC to date, as well as being the first independently developed passenger jet by China according to internationally accepted airworthiness standards and with proprietary rights.
See Also: COMAC C919: China’s rival to Airbus and Boeing in the single-aisle segment, closer to takeoff
The C919 program was conceived to compete in the single-aisle, medium-range aircraft segment with less than 200 seats, directly rivaling the Airbus A320neo family and the Boeing 737 MAX variants.
It has a capacity of between 158 and 192 seats and a range of 4075 to 5555 kilometers. Final assembly was completed on November 2, 2015, and the first flight took place on May 5, 2017.
See Also: COMAC delivered the first C919 in the world to China Eastern Airlines
The C919 has purchase intentions for more than 1,110 aircraft, but only has 65 firm orders, including five from China Eastern Airlines and those from HNA Aviation Group for Urumqi and Suparna.
China Eastern received the first C919 in December 2022, but encountered technical difficulties with the aircraft during training flights and awaits the first commercial flight of the Chinese model.
Although the C919 is Chinese, its main components and systems are supplied by Western companies, such as CFM International LEAP-1C engines and a flight guidance and interior system from Collins Aerospace. COMAC recently began testing a new locally manufactured engine.
New COMAC C919 customers: Urumqi and Suparna
Both airlines will receive 30 C919 aircraft each, primarily to replace their Boeing 737-800 fleets. Urumqi has 16 Boeing 737s; and Suparna has 10 Boeing 737s and 3 Boeing 747-400 freighters.
The vast geography, demographics, and ethnic groups of the People’s Republic of China have created a variety of airlines in the country representing each region.
Urumqi Air is a low-cost airline based at Diwopu International Airport (URC) in Ürümqi, in the Xinjiang province, serving 27 domestic destinations.
On the other hand, Suparna Airlines is the merger of Yangtze River Express and later Yangtze River Airlines, based in Shanghai/Pudong. Hainan Airlines Group is the largest shareholder, but 25% of its capital belongs to China Airlines and 5% to Shanghai Airport.
Suparna primarily operates at Shanghai/Pudong (PVG) and Shenzhen (SZX) airports, serving 18 destinations.
