COMAC C919 China Eastern
Two neat order bumps came in today.
- Air China signs as C929 launch customer
- Hainan orders 40 more C909s
- Colorful Guizhou Airlines ordered 30 C909s
It is noteworthy that these news items come from China. This includes not only China-based news but also China-based customers and aircraft. Even if it is the Zhuhai Airshow, focusing on China is vital.
China’s commercial aerospace industry is maturing quickly. We noted how COMAC is improving its delivery rates. Amid the global supply chain challenges, COMAC has to be creative to attract the attention it needs. Airbus, Boeing, and Embraer will get closer attention from the supply chain.
Look at this table from our new tracking model.
The COMAC delivery days period is becoming more competitive. This is especially true for the C909, formerly known as ARJ21 (the renaming isn’t official yet). The red dot on the blue sparkling is the high point. Since the pandemic, COMAC has improved its delivery rates on this model. Since it uses CF34 engines, also used by the E175, there is less supply chain stress., compared to the CFM LEAP on the C919, for example.
The ARJ21 was the learning program. The renaming allows COMAC to move forward and start a consistent model nomenclature. The ARJ21 had a very long gestation because COMAC had to train its workforce and deal with Western suppliers. This chart shows that COMAC used the ARJ21 as a learning tool, and the far better results from the C919 prove that.
In summary, these two orders reflect how China’s air travel market is growing and will increasingly turn to its local OEM first. COMAC cannot meet all the nation’s aviation requirements, but it will likely win orders first to ensure its backlog is large. Once that backlog is large enough, Airbus, Boeing, and Embraer will be considered. Airbus wisely chose to locate a FAL in China to ensure it gets the second bite of the cherry.
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