Key facts
- China's C919 jet program faces potential delivery delays due to US export restrictions on aircraft parts.
- Analysts believe alternative component sources for the C919 are not readily available.
- Comac has reportedly cut its 2025 delivery target for the C919 from 75 aircraft to 25.
- The C919 is China's domestically developed passenger jet intended to compete with Airbus and Boeing.
- As of September, only five C919s had been delivered to major Chinese airlines this year.
China's C919 passenger jet program is facing potential further delivery delays due to a reported move by the United States to restrict exports of aircraft parts. Analysts suggest that this action, aimed at strengthening Washington's position in trade talks with Beijing, would create a significant hurdle for Comac, as alternative sources for critical components are not readily available.
This development comes as Comac has already had to revise its delivery targets for the C919. According to Bloomberg, citing anonymous sources, the company's ambitious goal of delivering 75 C919 aircraft in 2025 has been slashed by two-thirds, with Comac now expecting to deliver only 25 units by the end of the year. This slowdown is attributed to bottlenecks in the company's supply chain.
As of September, major Chinese carriers Air China, China Eastern Airlines, and China Southern Airlines, which are the largest operators of the C919, had collectively received only five aircraft this year, falling short of their individual and combined expectations. The C919, described by Comac as the first jet-type trunk airliner independently developed by China in accordance with international airworthiness standards, has thus far only secured domestic orders.