When China Eastern Airlines flight MU9191 took off from Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport on May 28, 2023, it marked more than just another domestic flight to Beijing. The aircraft, a COMAC C919 registered as B-919A, represented the culmination of China’s then 15-year journey to challenge the Airbus-Boeing duopoly. It has been far from a smooth ride.
The rise of COMAC
The story of the C919 begins in May 2008, when the Chinese government established the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC) in Shanghai. Right off the bat, the newly formed aerospace venture had its sights set on developing a domestic competitor to the dominating Airbus A320 and Boeing 737 families. They were hardly the first company dreaming of a place at the “mid-sized-airliner” table. But COMAC had an ace up their sleeve—the financial backing of a global economic powerhouse. Namely, China.
The project was dubbed the C919, the jury being out on whether the “C” stands for either (or both) China or COMAC. With a certain manufacturing duo already having called dibs on the letters “A” and “B”, using the letter “C” was obviously too good an opportunity to pass up. The number 9 symbolizes longevity in Chinese culture, while the “19” represents the aircraft’s maximum seating capacity of 192 passengers.
Initial projections called for a first flight in 2014 and commercial deliveries beginning in 2016. An ambitious timeline, to say the least. That a worldwide financial meltdown was well underway, peaking mere months after the company’s inception, sure didn’t help either. Hindsight is 20-20, but surely COMAC couldn’t have picked a worse period to launch a brand new aircraft project. But launch it, they did.
Delays and changes
Production of the first prototype began on December 9, 2011, at COMAC’s facility in Shanghai. Reality quickly came knocking. The maiden flight was pushed to 2015, then again to 2017—when a C919 prototype took to the skies for the very first time on May 5th. Creating a brand new aircraft from scratch is a daunting and humbling prospect, even for seasoned companies in the field. Delays are simply par for the course.
The flight test program would prove extensive and complex. To achieve certification, COMAC reportedly needed to complete approximately 4,200 hours of flight testing across multiple test aircraft. To put that number in context, the Airbus A350 required about 2,600 test hours.
One interesting episode in the C919’s development involves the wing design, clearly demonstrating the trial-and-error nature of aircraft engineering. With composite materials being very much in vogue at the time (and still is, to be fair), COMAC initially aimed for the aircraft to be built using composite wings. The company spent significant resources on development and testing of this attractive solution. Ultimately, after years of work, the composite design was abandoned altogether. Instead COMAC designers favored a more conventional metallic wing, revealing this to the public by the early summer of 2018. Perhaps the work wasn’t altogether wasted, and we’ll see the fruits of the engineer’s labor in future offerings from COMAC. One can only hope.
A Chinese aircraft?
Proudly boasting its Chinese heritage, it is worth noting that the C919’s development relies heavily on international suppliers for critical systems. Again, this is not unique to COMAC, with virtually all aircraft manufacturers taking healthy swigs from the global supply lake.
Powering the aircraft are two CFM LEAP-1C turbofan engines, a slightly altered version of the similarly named engines available to power offerings from Boeing and Airbus. Other major Western suppliers include Honeywell (flight control systems), Collins Aerospace (avionics), and Parker Aerospace (hydraulic systems).
China has openly communicated their ambition to eventually replace foreign parts with domestic alternatives. One example of this is the homegrown CJ-1000A engine, which COMAC hopes will eventually propel the C919. The keyword here being “hopes”—the project has already overshot its initial timeline by half a decade, further underscoring the complexity of bringing new aviation technology to the market.
COMAC vs. the World
Then there’s the growing rift between China and, shall we say, the traditional powers of aviation. In October 2018, the U.S. Department of Justice indicted ten Chinese nationals, including intelligence officials, for allegedly stealing trade secrets from thirteen foreign aerospace companies involved in the C919 program.
Under President Donald Trump, the United States put COMAC on a military blacklist, severely limiting how companies could do business with them. His successor Joe Biden then removed COMAC from said list, just months in during his term as president. Then in July 2024, export controls temporarily disrupted shipments of LEAP-1C engines from CFM International, directly impacting production schedules.
If anything, these incidents surely have accelerated China’s ambition to bolster their domestic abilities.
Getting airborne in China
Troubles aside, after years of testing and refinement, the C919 finally received its type certificate from CAAC on September 29, 2022, at a ceremony in Beijing. Roughly two months later, China Eastern Airlines (MU/CES) received the very first production C919. Months of testing carried out by the airline ensued. The historic first commercial flight happened on May 28th, 2023, when the aforementioned flight MU9191 performed a two-hour trip from Shanghai to Beijing.
The C919 family of aircraft
Two models of the C919 are currently available to customers:
C919-100 STD (Standard)
The baseline C919-100 STD has a length of 38.9 meters and a wingspan of 35.8 meters (with winglets). With a maximum takeoff weight of 72,500 kg, it is certified to carry 192 passengers in a high-density layout. Airlines however have opted for more spacious interiors, typically accommodating 156-168 passengers. It has a range of 4,075 km (2,200 nautical miles) and cruises at Mach 0.785 with an operating ceiling of 39,800 feet.
C919-100 ER (Extended Range)
The extended-range variant maintains the same fuselage dimensions and passenger capacity as the standard model but features a higher maximum takeoff weight of 75,100 kg. This enables an extended range of 5,555 km (3,000 nautical miles). The ER variant is powered by CFM International LEAP-1C30 engines with slightly higher thrust ratings compared to the LEAP-1C28 engines on the standard model. COMAC themselves state the maximum cruise speed to be Mach 0.82.
Not only does these specifications echo those of its Western counterparts. Much like Flightradar24’s tireless world travelling force Gabriel Leigh pointed out when taking a closer look at the C919 during 2025’s Dubai Air Show (see video below)—at a glance, one could be forgiven for mistaking the aircraft altogether for an Airbus 320. Critics cough and silently nod toward talks of industrial espionage. Others chose to see the resemblance in a more favorable light—it’s a proven design, and imitation after all is one form (if not the highest) of flattery.
COMAC additionally has publicly teased two more versions of the C919. A shortened variant (C919-600) along with a stretched edition, dubbed the C919-800.
Production challenges and deliveries
Since entering service, the C919 has almost exclusively been used on domestic Chinese routes. Launch customer China Eastern Airlines remains the biggest operator with 11 aircraft currently in their fleet—and a whopping 95 more to be delivered. Air China (CA/CCA) and China Southern Airlines (CZ/CSN) trails closely behind, each having access to 6 C919’s.
Speaking of absolute numbers, COMAC’s production ramp-up has also proven slower than initially projected. In 2024, the company delivered approximately 10-12 C919s (sources vary on the exact number), falling well short of earlier targets. For 2025, COMAC announced plans to deliver 30 units with production capacity scaled to 50 aircraft—still a fraction of the 150 annual units the company once projected for its fifth year of production.
The order book tells a mixed story. COMAC has announced more than 1,200 orders for the C919, though all confirmed orders come from Chinese airlines, leasing companies, or government entities. In September 2023, Brunei’s GallopAir signed an agreement for 15 aircraft, which would make it the first international operator, though deliveries have yet to materialize. COMAC has also held discussions with airlines in Indonesia, Kazakhstan, and Cambodia.
COMAC’s certification grind
Perhaps the most significant barrier to the C919’s global market access remains Western certification. While the aircraft holds CAAC type certification, it has not been approved by the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) or the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
Not for lack of trying on COMAC’s behalf, we should add. It applied for EASA certification already back in 2019, the process apparently stalling during the COVID-19 pandemic. The application was reinitiated in 2023, and EASA executive director Florian Guillermet stated earlier this year that the aircraft could see certification within “three to six years”.
FAA certification faces even steeper obstacles. Beyond technical requirements, geopolitical considerations and concerns about military technology transfer could delay or prevent U.S. approval, perhaps indefinitely. Without FAA and EASA certification, the C919 cannot operate in most Western markets or be leased by international carriers, severely limiting its export potential.
Playing the long game
The C919 represents China’s long-term strategy to build domestic aerospace capabilities and reduce dependence on foreign manufacturers. Even if the aircraft never achieves significant market share outside China, the domestic market alone is enormous. China is projected to need thousands of new narrow-body aircraft over the next two decades as its middle class expands.
Pondering the potential success or failure of the C919 in markets outside of China, it is easy to draw parallels to China’s advancement in the automotive industry. Once the subject of ridicule among industry gurus, Chinese made vehicles now roam roads all across the planet. Whether COMAC can replicate this trajectory in commercial aviation—an industry with far higher barriers to entry—remains an open question.
