Chinese COMAC C919 led jetliners orders in the 1st half of 2024

How many commercial jets were ordered in the 1st half of the year? The final number still depends on the release of Embraer’s results, which does so every three months, however, at least 788 aircraft were sold by June.

And the aircraft that led the orders is not Western: COMAC C919 won 200 firm orders from Air China and China Southern Airlines, surpassing the best-selling Airbus A321neo, which had 181 orders.

Developed as an alternative to the A320 and the Boeing 737, the C919 can carry up to 164 passengers and has been in revenue service for just over a year with China Eastern Airlines, its only operator so far with six aircraft.

But state-owned COMAC will expand production in the coming years, making the C919 a more common aircraft for air travel in China.

Although this is expected as the Chinese government controls not only COMAC but also the country’s largest carriers, it is still a milestone in the industry.

American Airlines made the largest order

As stated, the A321neo occupied second place, confirming the great demand for the type, capable of carrying up to 244 passengers and flying over long distances. Airbus has been expanding its production to be able to meet so many orders, but it has not been easy.

Boeing, despite numerous problems, managed to secure 101 firm orders for the 737 MAX, which appears in its reports with all variants combined.

In 4th place is the Embraer E175, with 90 aircraft ordered, the result of a single order from American Airlines.

The US carrier, by the way, was responsible for a third of the firm orders in the 1st half thanks to agreements not only with Embraer but also with Boeing and Airbus, each awarded 85 orders.

The A220 had no orders and still registered cancellations

The A350 was the most ordered widebody of the year so far, with 98 orders for the two passenger versions combined.

The rival Boeing 777X, still awaiting type certification, had 30 orders, followed by the A330-900 with 23 aircraft. The 787 Dreamliner, in turn, had just 13 orders.

The 777F freighter surpassed the A350F with 12 orders compared to five Airbus model aircraft.

Among single-aisle jets under 150 seats, Embraer outbid Airbus with an order from Mexicana de Aviación for 10 E190-E2s and 10 E195-E2s.

The A220, on the other hand, had no orders in the semester and had 12 previous orders canceled.

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