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ICBC orders 55 more C919s
December 8th 2017
ICBC Leasing this week placed a top-up order with Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC) for 55 additional C919 jets. Read More » The Mainland lessor now has 100 C919s in its order book, making it the largest customer for China’s first home-built jet airliner. ICBC first placed an order for 45 C919s in 2011.
Seating 168 passengers in a single class configuration, the C919 is very similar to the A320 and B737 series. The Mainland jetliner will be powered exclusively by CFM International LEAP-1C engines. Some industry analysts have suggested the C919 will not be competitive either technologically or commercially when it enters service given its strong dependence on foreign suppliers.
In 2015, ICBC also ordered 30 COMAC ARJ21s, a smaller regional jet seating 70-95 passengers intended to compete with ATR, Bombardier and Embraer aircraft.
COMAC said it has secured almost 800 Mainland orders for the C919 from 27 customers, although a study of its order book revealed the majority of these commitments are Memorandums of Understanding and Letters of Intent rather than firm orders.
The programme received a major boost in September when the leasing arm of China Nuclear Engineering & Construction Group ordered 20 C919s with options for 20 more. Both Huabao Finance & Leasing and AVIC International Leasing Co. have ordered 15 with options for 15 and Agricultural Bank of China Financial Leasing Co. has committed to 20 with options for another 10.
The first prototype of the C919 performed its maiden flight on May 5. That jet flew from COMAC’s Shanghai base to Xian on November 10, where the next phase of flight tests and certification work will take place. A second prototype began low-speed taxi tests in Shanghai this week. COMAC said it would use six test aircraft. COMAC hoped to obtain certification in 2020-2021.
