China Eastern set to become C919's launch operator

COMAC (Shanghai Pudong) has unveiled China Eastern Airlines (MU, Shanghai Hongqiao) as the C919's tentative launch operator during the ongoing Airshow China 2016.

Following the signing of a cooperation framework agreement, the two parties will now enter into talks over the firming up of purchase rights for five of the aircraft within a year of its first successful test flight.

China Eastern signed a Letter of Intent (LOI) with Comac for twenty C919s in 2010.

The C919 is China's commercial response to the Airbus Industrie A320neo Family, the Boeing B737 MAX, and the Bombardier CSeries. It is scheduled to make its maiden test flight either later this year or early next. No firm EIS date has yet been announced.

ch aviation