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.

Average passenger loads per flight edged up to 85 per cent in the busy summer travel season between July and August, according to the Shanghai-based carrier, with its overall seat occupancy 80 per cent in the first half of the year.