COMACIn Production
China's first domestically developed narrow-body single-aisle commercial airliner, designed to compete directly with the Airbus A320neo and Boeing 737 MAX. Powered by CFM International LEAP-1C engines with a domestic CJ-1000A engine in flight-test on a Y-20 testbed and now expected to enter daily C919 service around 2028-2029.
Latest update Sep 18, 2026
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In commercial service since May 2023 with about 42 cumulative deliveries as of mid-September 2026, including 10 delivered year-to-date (8 in H1, 2 in July, 0 in August, none publicly recorded in the first half of September). The 2026 ramp is well behind plan versus the 33 Chinese airlines projected for the year, with labor shortages and LEAP-1C supply identified as bottlenecks; IBA still expects roughly 28 C919s for the full year. On August 12, 2026 the C919 flew its first-ever international route, Air China's daily Beijing-Ulaanbaatar service, taking the fleet's cumulative network to 58 routes / 26 cities and over 7.5 million passengers. Leeham's September 1 recap, citing Cirium, said Air China had 12 C919s in service. COMAC is also growing the C919 into a family: the plateau-optimized C919-600 (140-seat, Tibet Airlines launch customer with 40 orders) completed its maiden flight on July 29, 2026, and a stretched 200+ seat C919-800 is in joint development with China Eastern targeting 2030 service.
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Announced next steps from COMAC that mention C919.
2026
COMAC delivered 10 C919s through September 18, 2026 - 8 in the first half plus 2 in July (Air China's 12th and China Southern's B-659G on July 21) and none publicly recorded in August or the first half of September - against the 33-aircraft total Chinese airlines have planned for the year, leaving it on track to miss the annual goal by a wide margin. Cumulative deliveries since the 2023 entry into service now stand at about 42. IBA's September 2026 forecast still expects roughly 28 C919s for the full year, rising toward 59 in 2028 and 93 by 2030. The near-term challenge is unblocking LEAP-1C engine supply, easing labor shortages, and lifting monthly throughput after the August-September pause.
H2 2026 and beyond
The Beijing-Ulaanbaatar route (flights CA723/CA724, a two-class 158-seat configuration) was scheduled through at least mid-September 2026. As of September 16, 2026 no public cancellation has been reported and no additional C919 international routes have been announced. The next test is whether Air China keeps the service running beyond that first-phase window and whether COMAC and its airline customers add further international routes - the natural next candidates being other nearby markets that accept Chinese airworthiness documentation, since the C919 still lacks FAA and EASA certification for Western markets. Sustained, expanding international flying (rather than a single symbolic route) is the clearer signal of the C919's export readiness.
2027-2028
The CJ-1000A engine, designed to replace the Western LEAP-1C on the C919, continues flight-testing on a Y-20 testbed. Industry analysts still put Chinese certification around 2027-2028, with initial deliveries following and mass production around 2030 - roughly eight years behind AECC's original schedule - which would reduce the C919's dependence on Western engine supply once achieved. No later official certification date has been published as of mid-September 2026.
2028-2031
EASA remains around Phase 3 of a four-phase C919 review, with pilots and engineers keeping a near-permanent presence in Shanghai for ongoing flight and ground evaluations - China Southern completed the type's first heavy C-check (about 6,000 man-hours) in late May 2026, work European regulators are watching as part of the airworthiness review. EASA chief Florian Guillermet has said approval will not arrive before 2028 and could take three to six years overall - making EASA sign-off the single most important unlock for non-Chinese sales.
TBD
TargetTBD (C919-600 certification); 2030 (C919-800 EIS)
With the plateau-optimized C919-600's maiden flight complete (July 29, 2026, a roughly two-hour sortie out of and back to Shanghai Pudong), the next milestones are certification and entry into service - COMAC has not yet disclosed a certification timeline for the variant, which will enter service with launch customer Xizang Airlines (formerly Tibet Airlines, 40 aircraft on order). In parallel, COMAC continues to mature the stretched, 200+ seat C919-800 with China Eastern, still targeting a 2030 entry-into-service goal to chase the higher-capacity A321neo / 737 MAX 10 segment. No later flight-test or certification update has been published as of mid-September 2026.
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Air China operated COMAC's C919 on its first-ever scheduled international route on August 12, with the C919-100(ER) aircraft (registered B-919Y) departing Beijing Capital International Airport around 3:20pm and landing at Ulaanbaatar New International Airport in Mongolia around 5:00pm local time, where it received a water-cannon salute. The Beijing-Ulaanbaatar service will operate daily, a first step toward international operations for the Boeing and Airbus rival, though the C919 still lacks FAA and EASA certification that would open Western markets.
Air China will begin the C919's first-ever international scheduled service on August 12, flying daily between Beijing Capital and Ulaanbaatar with flight CA723 departing Beijing at 3pm and returning as CA724, using an aircraft configured for up to 158 passengers. The route marks a milestone for China's push to export its domestically developed narrow-body beyond the C909 regional jet's existing international network in Southeast Asia.
COMAC's C919-600, a shortened variant built to operate from Tibetan Plateau airports above 4,000 meters, completed its first flight on July 29, departing and returning to Shanghai Pudong International Airport after just under two hours in the air. The 140-seat aircraft is co-developed with Tibet Airlines, which holds a 40-jet launch order.
COMAC brought models of stretched (up to 210-seat) and high-altitude C919 variants to the Farnborough International Airshow for the first time, and revealed the seat map for its in-development C929 widebody, configured for 281 seats across three classes. The Chinese airframer's expanded international presence follows a recent purchase agreement for 20 C909 regional jets with Air Cambodia, as it works to broaden its narrowbody family and challenge Boeing and Airbus beyond its home market.
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China's first domestically developed short- to medium-range turbofan regional airliner. The C909 is optimized for 78 to 97 seats, short and narrow runways, and demanding high-temperature or plateau operations, making it COMAC's current spearhead for regional export expansion in Southeast Asia, with growing derivative interest in medical-rescue and firefighting configurations.
COMAC's planned twin-aisle wide-body program for long-haul international and regional flying. The aircraft is aimed at the Airbus A330neo and Boeing 787 class and is now being advanced as an independent Chinese program after the earlier Russia-China partnership unraveled. Air China has signed a preliminary launch-customer agreement.
A large-cabin business-jet derivative of the C909 regional airliner, adapted with an extended-range VIP cabin for private and corporate operators - COMAC's first entry into the large-cabin business-jet market.
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Boeing
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Boeing
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Boeing
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Boeing
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