Two more Chinese airlines to begin flying China-made COMAC C919 jet By Reuters

BEIJING (Reuters) – Air China ( OTC: ) and China Southern Airlines will become the second and third Chinese carriers to fly the COMAC C919 passenger jet from China when their first planes are delivered on Wednesday, China Central TV said , administered by the state.

Chinese planemaker COMAC is trying to break into a passenger jet market dominated by Western manufacturers Airbus and Boeing (NYSE: ) that has been strained by a shortage of planes and the Boeing safety crisis.

The C919 entered domestic service last May with China Eastern, which flies seven of the aircraft domestically.

China’s three major state-owned airlines have each ordered 100 C919s, and COMAC said more than 1,000 have been ordered in total.

China Southern said last week on social media platform Weibo (NASDAQ: ) that the first C919 will be integrated into its fleet by Wednesday.

The C919 has a capacity of up to 192 people and is in a similar category to the Boeing 737 MAX and Airbus A320neo aircraft.

COMAC increased its sales and production plans this year and marketed the C919 overseas, particularly in Southeast Asia and also in the growing aviation market in Saudi Arabia.

It also develops a flat design with a wide body.

Zhongtai Securities said last month that it expects COMAC to be able to produce 100 aircraft a year by around 2030, with total aircraft produced exceeding 1,000 by 2035.

Airbus delivered 735 commercial aircraft in 2023.

Industry sources warn that COMAC is far from making inroads internationally, especially without benchmark certifications from the United States or the European Union – which COMAC is pursuing – or more efficient aircraft.

A forecast by aviation consultancy Cirium in May called for just under 1,700 C919 deliveries by 2042, giving the C919 a market share of around 25%, compared to Boeing’s 30% and Airbus’ 45% .

The first C919 delivery to a private airline is expected by the end of the year.

Shanghai-based Suparna Airlines, a subsidiary of China’s fourth-largest carrier Hainan Airlines, which has 60 C919s on order, said it eventually aims to fly only the C919.

China will more than double its commercial jet fleet by 2043 and will need 8,830 new planes, Boeing Commercial Market Outlook said in July.