The last of China’s 3 largest airlines also orders the new C919 plane from China’s COMAC

China Southern Airlines issued a market statement yesterday, April 29, to inform a major purchase agreement for narrow-body aircraft (narrowbody).

“The Board announces that on April 29, 2024 (after trading hours), the Company entered into the Contract with COMAC to purchase 100 C919 series aircraft from COMAC”, describes the Chinese airline in its newsletter.

According to information provided by COMAC, the catalog price of a C919 series aircraft is US$99 million, therefore, the total value of the acquisition, at catalog price, would be approximately US$9.9 billion, including the value of the engines.

However, China Southern describes that the agreement was negotiated and concluded in accordance with customary commercial and industrial practices, such that the actual value of each aircraft is lower than the catalog price, due to price concessions made by COMAC.

“The purchase of these aircraft aligns with our country’s strategy and effectively meets the Company’s medium and long-term fleet development needs. Within the general framework of the national civil aviation development strategy, the domestic market’s demand for narrow-body aircraft shows a significant upward trend. The Company’s introduction of 100 C919 series aircraft between 2024 and 2031 could alleviate the Company’s capacity demand pressure, achieve a balanced fleet structure and improve the Company’s overall strength and brand image,” explains China Southern.

The order for the new planes from Chinese manufacturer COMAC comes a few days after another similar announcement, made by Air China, also for 100 units of the C919 jet, joining other orders made by Chinese airlines, including China Eastern, completing the triad of the country’s largest airlines.

The C919 has received more than 1,000 orders from Chinese airlines and lessors, according to the manufacturer’s website.

With information from China Southern and COMAC