The COMAC C919 has made its international debut. The Air China-operated jet, B-919Y (c/n 00021), took off from Beijing/Capital on August 12 as flight CA723, bound for the Mongolian capital Ulaanbaatar.
The route is usually operated by Boeing 737 MAX 8 equipment. The carrier’s schedule now indicates that this particular service, one of three per day, will be operated by the C919.
The type entered revenue service with China Eastern Airlines on May 28, 2023, following Chinese certification in September 2022. Despite appearing at overseas events such as the Singapore and Dubai air shows, commercial operations have until now been concentrated within mainland China and to Hong Kong.
The C919 has been billed as China’s answer and a potential competitor to the Airbus A320neo and Boeing 737 MAX Family. Despite the Ulaanbaatar service being a relatively modest first step towards broader international operations, COMAC is pursuing European certification. However, the manufacturer continues to face production constraints and remains reliant on Western suppliers for key equipment, including CFM International LEAP-1C engines.
COMAC is also pushing ahead with development of a high-altitude and stretched variant. A prototype of the former, B-002U (c/n 0032), recently completed its first test flight at Shanghai/Pudong. Known as the C919-600, Xizang Airlines is the launch customer and has 40 on order. The -600 will seat around 140 passengers compared to the baseline model’s 164 seats. The stretched variant, meanwhile, is expected to seat around 210 passengers.
