Photo: Courtesy of China Eastern Airlines

China Eastern Airlines received a second domestically made C919 passenger plane in Shanghai on Sunday, following the first commercial flight of the aircraft on May 28, a sign that the carrier is speeding up the formation of a C919 fleet. 

At 10:06 am on Sunday, the plane with the number B-919C took off from Shanghai Pudong International Airport and landed at Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport at 10:20 am, formally marking the plane's entry into the China Eastern Airlines fleet.

The second aircraft will initially operate between Shanghai and Chengdu, Sichuan Province, similar to the first one delivered to the carrier. More domestic routes are expected to be added soon, China Eastern said.

The carrier also refuted media reports that flights had been suspended, saying after the first C919 aircraft was put into operation, it may not be able to make commercial flights every day due to reasons such as local training and planned maintenance.

As of July 12, the first C919 had operated 87 commercial flights, including 85 Shanghai-Chengdu flights, carrying a total of 11,095 passengers, China Eastern said.

The delivery of the second aircraft shows that supply chain of the Commercial Aircraft Corp of China (COMAC) is stable, Qi Qi, an independent market watcher, told the Global Times on Sunday. 

Li Yangmin, general manager of China Eastern Airlines, said the three-hour flight time between Chengdu and Shanghai is appropriate for the aircraft, and flying adaptability to the environment, including temperature and humidity, will be good as the air route is in the east-west direction, according to yicai.com.

Besides, China Eastern has sound maintenance support for the flight team, and the passenger flow is good, Li added. 

The operation of the C919 displays China's unshakeable resolve and remarkable achievements in pursuing high-end manufacturing despite challenges, and it also shows that the Chinese-developed plane is on track to break the monopoly of Boeing and Airbus. 

The Shanghai-based China Eastern Airlines received the world's first C919 model from COMAC on December 9, 2022. 

On May 28 this year, China Eastern completed its inaugural commercial flight from Shanghai to Beijing, which triggered the public to snap up tickets.

China Eastern Airlines has provided aircraft-specific training for eight captains, 46 cabin crew members and 16 aircraft maintenance personnel since the first operation. Another 21 pilots are now receiving flight training.

Chinese experts said that more people flying on the C919 will inject confidence in terms of orders and potential consumers, which will also pump growth into the industrial chain's development.

In March 2021, Chinese Eastern signed an agreement with COMAC to purchase five C919 passenger planes. 

COMAC said in June that the C919 had received a total of 1,061 orders from more than 30 customers.

On Wednesday, HNA's Suparna Airlines teamed with SPDB Financial Leasing for a framework agreement of 30 C919 aircraft, according to the official WeChat account of HNA Aviation, giving China's aircraft builder a boost for the order.

A report released by COMAC this year said that China will take delivery of 9,284 passenger planes at or above the 50-seat class by 2041.

By 2041, China's fleet will reach 10,007 aircraft, accounting for 21.1 percent of the global passenger aircraft fleet. China's aviation market will become the world's largest single aviation market, the report said.