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On August 10, the Global Times reported that the international airworthiness certification of China's domestically produced large aircraft C919 is receiving "positive feedback." According to the Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post, citing people familiar with the matter, after EU regulators conducted an on-site certification inspection of the C919 passenger aircraft in Shanghai last month, "the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) delegation gave positive feedback." Officials from the Civil Aviation Administration of China called this a "breakthrough" and marked another step forward in EU regulators' understanding of Chinese aircraft and their design and manufacturing.

At present, the C919 has been put into commercial operation for more than a year. As the number of deliveries increases, the route network is gradually being rolled out. China Eastern Airlines revealed that as of August 3, 2024, China Eastern Airlines' C919 fleet has carried out a total of 3,133 commercial flights and carried nearly 420,000 passengers.

Analysts believe that with the advancement of the C919 large passenger aircraft batch production capacity (Phase II) construction project, the production capacity of C919 aircraft is expected to gradually increase, and C919 may officially enter the golden development period of large-scale and large-fleet aircraft. At the same time, C919's overseas marketing activities are constantly underway, and its future overseas expansion is worth looking forward to.

On August 10, the Global Times reported that the international airworthiness certification of China's domestically produced large aircraft C919 is receiving "positive feedback."

According to the South China Morning Post in Hong Kong, China, citing people familiar with the matter, after EU regulators conducted an on-site certification inspection of the C919 passenger aircraft in Shanghai last month, relevant Chinese civil aviation agencies are more optimistic about the C919 passenger aircraft obtaining EU certification in 2025. The person familiar with the matter said: "The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) delegation gave positive feedback."

It is reported that the focus of the on-site certification inspection by EASA technicians this time is to operate and evaluate the C919's Class D flight simulator. In order to replicate takeoff, landing and various emergency situations as realistically as possible, the Class D flight simulator is manufactured with real cockpit equipment. According to a corporate announcement issued by COMAC in 2023, the C919 simulator fully replicates the real cockpit of the aircraft, significantly improves visual effects, expands the pilot's horizontal field of view, and adds motion effects, which can more accurately simulate various flight events.

EASA's on-site certification inspection of the C919 is part of the compliance demonstration. EASA has a total of four rounds of certification procedures, and the compliance demonstration is the third stage of the process, which is also the most important certification stage. During this period, aircraft manufacturers must prove that their products meet regulatory requirements for structure, engine, control system, electrical system and flight performance.

The South China Morning Post said that this was the second time that EU technicians had visited the C919 on site after March this year. They spent several hours inspecting the cockpit and cabin and discussed specific details with representatives of the Civil Aviation Administration of China. The above-mentioned insider said: "They (EASA representatives) were sharp-eyed and asked a lot of details, paying special attention to the commercial operation of C919 by domestic airlines."

The report said that regarding this inspection, officials from the Civil Aviation Administration of China called it a "breakthrough" and marked a step forward in the EU regulator's understanding of Chinese aircraft and their design and manufacturing.

People familiar with the matter told the South China Morning Post that the prospects for obtaining EU certification in 2025 now appear more optimistic.

It is reported that COMAC first applied for EASA certification in 2019, and the C919 completed its first commercial passenger flight in May 2023. With the opening of its domestic routes, the certification process has been further accelerated.

As China's first domestically developed large aircraft to be put into commercial operation, the EASA certification has far-reaching significance for the C919's overseas expansion. The Global Times quoted the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) as saying that the C919 broke the monopoly of Boeing and Airbus in single-aisle jet mainline passenger aircraft.

The domestically-produced single-aisle trunk passenger aircraft C919 developed and manufactured by COMAC has been in commercial operation for more than a year. As the number of deliveries increases, the route network is gradually being rolled out.

China Eastern Airlines revealed that as of August 3, 2024, China Eastern Airlines' C919 fleet had carried out a total of 3,133 commercial flights and carried nearly 420,000 passengers.

Since China Eastern Airlines successfully achieved commercial operation of C919 on May 28, 2023, the size of its C919 fleet has grown to 7. The latest C919 to join China Eastern Airlines was on July 29, flying from Shanghai Pudong International Airport to Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport on MU9006 transfer flight, and officially joined the China Eastern Airlines fleet.

Currently, the C919 aircraft built by COMAC for Air China and China Southern Airlines have all rolled off the production line and started test flights, and are making preparations for final delivery.

On August 10, the official Weibo account of Aviation Industry Corporation of China, "Aviation Industry", posted that Air China's first C919 passenger aircraft conducted its maiden flight on the 9th. The aircraft's temporary registration number is B-002M and is scheduled to be delivered to Air China at the end of August.

It is reported that at the end of August this year, China Southern Airlines also plans to welcome its first C919 aircraft.

According to information released by HNA Aviation Group in public channels, its subsidiary Suparna Airlines will also receive the C919 aircraft as planned in 2024, and will become the world's first private airline to operate the C919.

In April this year, Supeng Airlines announced that the company's last Boeing 787 passenger aircraft officially withdrew from the fleet. According to the company's plan, in the next three to four years, Supeng Airlines' passenger aircraft fleet will be gradually adjusted to a single domestically produced C919 aircraft.

It is reported that the current order volume of C919 has exceeded 1,000, and the order quantity is full.

Qiu Shiliang, co-director of the Zheshang Securities Research Institute and head of the large manufacturing group, said: "The large number of orders reflects the confidence of airlines in domestically produced large aircraft. It is expected that the mass production of domestically produced large aircraft will accelerate in 2024."

China Cinda Securities believes that with the advancement of the C919 large passenger aircraft batch production capacity (Phase II) construction project, the production capacity of C919 aircraft is expected to gradually increase, and C919 may officially enter the golden development period of large-scale and large fleets.

At the same time, C919's overseas marketing activities are ongoing, and its future overseas expansion is worth looking forward to.

At the Farnborough International Air Show in the UK held in late July this year, COMAC showcased its product array to global aviation industry players with its plans to expand several series of aircraft, including regional aircraft, single-aisle mainline aircraft and long-range wide-body aircraft.

At the Singapore Air Show held earlier this year, COMAC also displayed the real C919 at an overseas air show for the first time, and then spent two weeks conducting demonstration flights of the ARJ21 and C919 aircraft in Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Malaysia and Indonesia.

According to COMAC, this move is mainly to verify the adaptability of domestically-made commercial aircraft to the airports and routes in the five Southeast Asian countries, the adaptability of airport ground service equipment, the applicability of special flight procedures and the economy of route payload, demonstrate the good performance of the aircraft and lay the foundation for the subsequent development of the Southeast Asian market.

It is understood that COMAC has considered bringing the C919 aircraft to the next Dubai Air Show in the United Arab Emirates for display.

According to the latest market forecast of COMAC, in the next 20 years, the number of civil passenger aircraft in the world will increase from 24,264 to 51,701, and the demand for passenger aircraft in the Asia-Pacific market will also increase from 3,314 to 9,701. In the face of huge market demand, COMAC will be committed to developing good products and providing good services, striving to provide a reliable new choice for the international civil aviation market and making positive contributions to the development of the civil aviation industry in the Asia-Pacific region.

Editor: Tactical Heng