Air China (CA, Beijing Capital) has placed a firm order with COMAC for 100 extended range C919s with deliveries scheduled to begin this year.
The carrier said in a stock market filing that the order was signed on April 26, 2024, and approved by the airline's board of directors the day after. Deliveries are scheduled to continue through 2031. Air China said the C919s will partially replace older aircraft, which are due to be retired, and partially be used for fleet growth. It intends to grow in "a controlled manner" and estimated that the deliveries of 100 C919s will eventually lead to a 7.5% net increase in ASK capacity compared to the level from 2023.
Air China said it would finance the transaction from a mix of its own cash, loans, and other sources. In late December 2023, the carrier announced a plan to issue additional shares to its controlling shareholder China National Aviation Corporation to the tune of up to CNY6 billion yuan (USD828 million). The issuance was completed by early February 2024.
Air China previously ordered five C919s, the ch-aviation fleets module shows, and is the second of the big three state-owned Chinese carriers to commit to a large number of C919s, after China Eastern Airlines, which has ordered 100 on top of the five it already has in service. China Southern Airlines currently has just five due.
The C919 will join existing Airbus and Boeing aircraft in Air China's narrowbody fleet which currently comprises thirty A319-100s, thirty-eight A320-200s, fifty-three A320-200Ns, sixty-one A321-200s, ten A321-200Ns, twenty A321-200NX, seventeen B737-700s, twenty-one B737-8s, and eighty-eight B737-800s.
