COMAC C919

Narrow-Body Passenger Airliner

China | 2023

"After extensive delays in the program, the C919 officially entered commercial flying service in May of 2023."

Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 05/30/2023 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site; No A.I. was used in the generation of this content.

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The government-owned aviation company of COMAC ("COMmercial Aircraft corporation of China") was founded as recently as 2008 and headquartered in Shanghai, China. Its primary focus has been the commercial airliner industry and its relatively contained stable is now represented by several in-development and future products led by the ARJ31 and followed by the C919. Future programs include the larger C929 and C939 offerings.

The C919 is billed as a twin-engine, narrow body, single-aisle passenger hauler for short-to-medium routes. Its passenger capacity ranges between 150 and 190, larger than that of the preceding short-range-minded ARJ21 with its 70 to 105 volume. The C919 stands as the largest indigenous Chinese airliner program since the 1980s which only produced three of the ultimately abandoned, four-engined Shanghai Y-10 aircraft. The C919 is in the same class as the American Boeing 737 and French Airbus A320 frames - two aircraft which currently own a large portion of the short-to-medium market class.

While still undergoing development as of this writing (January 2014), it is expected that the aircraft will receive its maiden flight sometime in late 2015. It has achieved type certification in China (2010) but has yet to earn its certification for operating in Western airspaces - which could severely hamper its export value. The manufacture process of future C919s will be a joint effort split between various Chinese manufacturers including Hongdu and engines will be delivered from CFM International of France. Avionics will also be imported with a possible locally-developed suite to come in the near future. COMAC intends to produce a singular standard airframe and modify this for the various envisioned roles to include general two-class passenger hauling, commercial freighter and VIP/business jet.

The standard C919 will feature a two-class seating configuration for up to 156 passengers and its crew of two. Overall length is 127 feet, 7 inches with a wingspan of 117 feet, 5 inches and an overall height of 39 feet. Maximum Take-Off Weight (MTOW) is rated at around 170,000lbs with a range out to 4,050 kilometers (another proposed model could reach as far as 5,550km). The CFM international "LEAP-1C" turbofan engines will provide between 25,000- and 30,000-lbs of thrust allowing the airframe to cruise at speeds of 520 miles per hour with a service ceiling in the 39,500 foot range.

To date, some 400 of the type have been ordered across sixteen customers which include Air China, China Eastern Airlines, China Southern Airliners, Hainan Airlines, Joy Air and Sichuan Airlines. The largest customer (as it currently stands) is CCB Financial Leasing with 50 aircraft on order.

The aircraft was originally is slated for official introduction in 2016. However, a May 2015 update stated that the C919 would be readied for service entry sometime in 2019-2020. Now it appears the series will not be launched until 2021.

After extensive delays, the product officially entered commercial flying service in May of 2023.

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November 2015 - The first C919 was rolled out of final assembly in Shanghai for public viewing. Ground testing is set to begin with a first flight planned for 2016.

April 2016 - It was announced that deliveries of the C919 would commence in 2019.

September 2016 - Progress continues on static testing of the C919 in preparation for a first-flight.

December 2016 - The C919 prototype began taxiing tests. A first-flight is scheduled for mid-2017.

March 2017 - It was announced that the C919 design configuration had been finalized. A first-flight is scheduled for April 2017.

May 2017 - A COMAC C919 completed a first-flight on May 5th, 2017.

October 2017 - There are currently 27 customers with orders committed to the C919. Four Chinese government branches have committed to seventy airplanes with an option for sixty more.

December 2017 - The second C919 development aircraft has flown for the first time.

March 2018 - Modifications on the second C919 has begun and should return the aircraft to flyable condition for April 2018.

June 2018 - The two C919 test articles returned to the air on June 22nd, 2018 following undisclosed modifications. A third test article is scheduled for a first-flight later in 2018.

July 2018 - With certification expected in 2020, deliveries of the C919 are now tentatively scheduled for 2021.

February 2020 - The C919 development model has successfully completed tests involving its service ceiling and cruising speeds.

February 2020 - The U.S. government is reviewing whether it will grant General Electric a renewal of its export license which is used to deliver CFM LEAP-1C engines to COMAC of China.

December 2020 - The C919 narrow-body airliner has entered its final stage of testing, paving the way for service entry to follow.

August 2021 - The first C919 is expected to be delivered before the end of the year to carrier China Eastern.

May 2022 - The first production C919 has achieved its first flight according to reports.

October 2022 - The C919 has been granted certification.

May 2023 - The C919 has officially entered commercial flying service.

Power & Performance
Those special qualities that separate one aircraft design from another. Performance specifications presented assume optimal operating conditions for the COMAC C919 Mixed Narrow-Body Passenger Airliner.

2 x CFM International LEAP-1C non-afterburning turbofan engines developing 25,000-to-30,000lb of thrust each.
Propulsion

559 mph
900 kph | 486 kts
Max Speed

364 mph
585 kph | 316 kts
Cruise Speed

39,698 ft
12,100 m | 8 miles
Service Ceiling

2,485 miles
4,000 km | 2,160 nm
Operational Range

City-to-City Ranges
Operational range when compared to distances between major cities (in KM).

NYC

LON

PAR

BER

MOS

TOK

SYD

LAX

NYC

Structure
The nose-to-tail, wingtip-to-wingtip physical qualities of the COMAC C919 Mixed Narrow-Body Passenger Airliner.

2
(MANNED)
Crew

127.6 ft
38.90 m
O/A Length

117.5 ft
(35.80 m)
O/A Width

39.2 ft
(11.95 m)
O/A Height

170,417 lb
(77,300 kg)
MTOW

Design Balance
The three qualities reflected below are altitude, speed, and range. The more full the box, the more balanced the design.

RANGE

ALT

SPEED

Variants
Notable series variants as part of the COMAC C919 family line.

C919 - Base Series Designation.

C919 "Mixed" - 2-class seating for 156; 4,075km operational range.

C919 "All ECO" - Single-class seating for 168; 5,555km operational range.

C919 "High Density" - Single-class seating for 174.

Operators
Global customers who have evaluated and/or operated the COMAC C919. Nations are displayed by flag, each linked to their respective national aircraft listing.

Total Production: 10 Units
Contractor(s): Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China Ltd (COMAC) - China

[ China; United States (GE Capital Aviation) ]

Relative Max Speed

Hi: 750mph

Lo: 375mph

Aircraft Max Listed Speed (559mph).

Graph Average of 563 MPH.

Era Crossover

Showcasing Aircraft Era Crossover (if any)

Max Alt Visualization

Production Comparison

10

36183

44000

Entry compared against Ilyushin IL-2 (military) and Cessna 172 (civilian) total production.

MACH Regime (Sonic)

Sub

Trans

Super

Hyper

HiHyper

ReEntry

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Mission Roles
Some designs are single-minded in their approach while others offer a more versatile solution to airborne requirements.

COMMERCIAL AVIATION

Recognition
Some designs stand the test of time while others are doomed to never advance beyond the drawing board; let history be their judge.

Military lapel ribbon representing modern aircraft

Going Further...
The COMAC C919 Narrow-Body Passenger Airliner appears in the following collections:

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