Privately owned Chinese airline Suparna Airlines signed a contract with lessor SPDB Financial Leasing to lease 30 domestically built C919 jets from COMAC, China Daily reported.
The C919 entered service in May with China Eastern Airlines, so far the only carrier to have the aircraft in its fleet.
According to the Chinese publication, by the end of May the COMAC jet had received 1,035 orders from local and foreign companies. For now, one plane is in service and the second is being prepared for delivery to the same company, which has ordered five aircraft of the type.
The lease for the planes was signed on June 12 in Hainan province, where HNA Group’s headquarters are located. The Chinese private conglomerate, involved in several businesses, owns 85% of the shares of Suparna Airlines.
The introduction of 30 aircraft to the fleet will be a big leap forward for Suparna. The commercial division of the Chinese company, founded in 2003, currently operates eight Boeing 737-800 jets and two 787-9 Dreamliner. The company also operates in the transport of cargo with three 747-400F.
Valuable achievement
Launched by COMAC at the end of 2008 to compete with the Airbus A320 and Boeing 737 duo, the C919 is an airplane built essentially to supply the demand of the Chinese market.
Jet exports should happen in a few years, to companies in the East and countries politically allied with China – with opportunities in Africa, the Middle East, Russia and perhaps even South America.
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The full-scale introduction of the C919 is something that should also take some time to happen, as well as the certification of the plane in other countries.
The plane’s production uses key components imported from Western suppliers, such as CFM LEAP engines and avionics systems. The regular shipment of these items, however, depends on the geopolitical climate, which is currently tense between China and the United States.
More than a commercial aircraft, the C919 is a worthy achievement for China and shakes the foundations of the global aerospace market. If it is even minimally successful in the Chinese aviation market, A320 and 737 orders in the country could decline considerably.
