China's C919 Commercial Airliner Receives Order for 30 Planes

Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC) signed a purchase agreement with a domestic leasing company China Huarong Financial Leasing Co., for the purchase of 30 C919 large passenger aircraft, taking total orders to 815.

The agreement signed on Monday is also for 20 Comac ARJ21 Xiangfeng, a twin-engined regional jet, bringing the total order 453 from 21 customers to date.

"We expect to establish a comprehensive cooperative relationship with COMAC," Lai Xiaomin, chairman of China Huarong Asset Management Co., Ltd, was quoted as saying by Xinhua.

COMAC's ARJ21, a regional aircraft with 90 economy seats, was delivered to Chengdu Airlines in late 2015. To date, it has carried 49,000 passengers, the company said. 

The C919 is in the test flight phase following a successful maiden flight on May 5, 2017. The narrow-body jumbo was developed to rival the updated Airbus A320 and the new Boeing B737. 

COMAC has also set up a joint venture with a Russian state company to build wide-body passenger jet CR929. It said the joint development is now in full swinging.