China’s C919 turns in stellar report card, but profitability remains elusive

After more than 3,700 flights, half a million passengers, impeccable punctuality and higher-than-average passenger load over the last 15 months, China Eastern Airlines this week has handed in a glowing report card for China’s home-grown C919 passenger jet. And having demonstrated its reliability, the rival to the Boeing 737 and the Airbus A320 families of aircraft has also shown profitability potential, analysts said, although the C919 is set to face hurdles as it seeks presence in overseas markets. “Some of the C919’s metrics show it’s nosing closer to Boeing and Airbus jets and it has potential to turn a profit … but we need more and quicker deployment as the current scale is too small to make an impact,” said Beijing-based aviation commentator Zhang Zhonglin. Since inducting the first narrowbody C919 into service in May 2023, China Eastern has grown its fleet to seven, with seat occupancy averaging 82%. Average passenger loads per flight edged up to 85% in the busy summer travel season between July and August, according to the Shanghai-based carrier, with its overall seat occupancy 80% in the first half of the year. Passenger trips have also jumped from 300,000 between May 2023 to June, to 500,000 as of the end of August. “The speed with which China Eastern has boosted the twinjet’s deployment is impressive. It has proven its reliability and profit prospects, provided that there is good airline management,” said Zhang. In 2023, the airline had initially only flown the C919 for four hours per day due to teething problems. China Eastern Airlines now operates 22 C919 flights per day on routes from Shanghai to Beijing, Guangzhou, Chengdu and Xian, as well as from Beijing to Xian.<br/>