JINPENG Airlines, a low-cost carrier under the umbrella of HNA Group also known as Suparna Airlines, is set to receive its first C919 aircraft in the fourth quarter of this year, marking it as the world’s first privately owned airline to operate this domestically developed aircraft, the National Business Daily reported. The airline aims to incorporate a fleet of 30 C919 aircraft. It has established a dedicated center for these planes and has completed training for 37 maintenance and engineering staff across two phases. Flight attendants and security personnel training are scheduled to commence by the end of August. Suparna Airlines has emphasized its ongoing collaboration with the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC) in various aspects such as engineering technology, aviation material support, management, and personnel training. Meanwhile, ithome.com reported that COMAC recently delivered its seventh C919 to China Eastern Airlines. The Shanghai-based airline is the first to operate C919 aircraft, having received four in 2023 and an additional two in the first half of this year. These C919 aircraft are currently servicing regular routes linking Shanghai with Chengdu, Beijing, Xi’an, and Guangzhou. China Eastern Airlines initially ordered five C919s and later expanded their order to 100 aircraft. The COMAC C919 is a narrow-body jetliner designed to compete directly with the Boeing 737 MAX and the Airbus A320neo family, boasting a maximum seating capacity of 192 passengers ideal for high-demand short and medium-haul routes prevalent in China and the broader Asian region. Major Chinese airlines like Air China and China Southern Airlines have each committed to purchasing 100 C919 aircraft. Global orders for the C919 have surpassed 1,000 aircraft, according to Chinese media reports. During the Singapore Airshow in February, Tibet Airlines made a significant order for 40 high-altitude C919 aircraft, becoming the launch customer for this variant. The increasing orders for the C919 indicate its potential to challenge the longtime duopoly of Boeing and Airbus in the market. However, the delivery pace of the C919 trails behind that of Boeing and Airbus, with Airbus delivering 142 civilian aircraft in the first quarter of this year, including 116 A320 series aircraft, and Boeing reaching a monthly output of 38 737 series aircraft in the same period, as reported by yicai.com. Zhang Yujin, COMAC’s vice general manager, said in January last year that the production of C919 aircraft would ramp up significantly, with the company targeting an annual output of 150 C919s within five years. (SD News) | 