BEIJING: China’s Comac is poised to hand over the first of two single-aisle C919 jets to new operators Air China Ltd. and China Southern Airlines Co, state broadcaster CCTV said Wednesday.
The double delivery event marks the first planes to be dispatched to the two carriers from a mega 200 jet order for C919s worth US$20.7 billion that was announced in April.
Commercial Aircraft Corp of China Ltd, seeking to become an alternative to Boeing Co and Airbus SE, is vying for a greater share of the global commercial jet market by first starting to ink deals domestically.
Its C919 plane currently isn’t certified by any air safety regulators outside of China and so therefore can only fly locally.
Wednesday’s deliveries would take the total number of airlines flying the C919 to three, including China Eastern Airlines Corp. The trio, often referred to as China’s Big Three, have in total signed up for over 300 C919 jets.