Comprehensive aviation upgrade in the offing

So far, COMAC has received orders for around 1,200 planes of the C919 model from home and abroad. These include both confirmed and intended orders, the company said.

As the air travel market continues to recover from the negative impact of COVID-19 and the number of air travelers grows fast in China, the C919 is expected to help meet rising demand.

The C919 aircraft model, which made its maiden flight in 2017 after a decade of development, received its type certificate, or design approval, in September last year. Comparable to the Airbus A320 and the Boeing B737 series, the C919 has 158 to 168 seats and a flying range of 4,075-5,555 kilometers.

"The manufacture of the C919 will help guide upstream and downstream industries in Shanghai to better lay out their businesses, and give full play to an agglomeration effect. Thus, the aircraft manufacturer, suppliers of parts and the local economy can all achieve growth," said Lin Zhijie, an aviation industry analyst and a columnist at Carnoc, a major civil aviation website in China.

After China optimized its pandemic response measures and restarted quarantine-free international travel in January, the country's air travel market has been on track to a steady recovery. In May, the sector transported 5.2 million people, up 2.8 percent over April, and reached 94.8 percent of the level recorded in the same period of 2019 before the pandemic, according to the Civil Aviation Administration of China.

With China's peak season of air travel arriving in summer, domestic carriers have ramped up efforts to launch or resume more flights to meet growing demand. For the period from June 20 to Oct 10, Guangzhou-based China Southern Airlines plans to add more than 12,000 flights and bring its total number of flights operating during the period to over 250,000. Stated differently, China Southern will operate 2,212 flights per day on average during the 113-day period.

During summer, China Southern plans to add about 150 flights daily on average. Particularly, the carrier will add more flights that connect major cities with popular tourism destinations.

Han Wensheng, general manager of China Southern, said the carrier is paying close attention to the C919 aircraft and maintaining constant communication with COMAC. It will follow relevant procedures to advance subsequent work regarding the potential purchase of more C919 aircraft.

For its international routes, China Southern recently launched flights that connect Beijing Daxing International Airport with London's Heathrow Airport. It also resumed flights that connect Guangzhou, Guangdong province, and Rome, as well as flights that connect Shenzhen, Guangdong province, and Sydney. The airline also increased the frequency of its flights that connect Guangzhou with Paris and Sydney.

China Southern said it has resumed nearly half of international flights compared with the pre-pandemic period. These flights cover markets like Southeast Asia, Japan, South Korea, Australia and Europe.

From July 1 to Aug 31, Tianjin Airlines plans to operate more than 200 routes, and launch flights to four new cities, including Nantong and Yangzhou in Jiangsu province. The carrier will also launch new flights or increase the frequency of flights that connect Chongqing and Lijiang, Yunnan province; Tianjin and Kunming, Yunnan province; and Xi'an, Shaanxi province, and Guilin, Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region.

With international traffic and domestic air travel back to the pre-pandemic levels, US aircraft manufacturer Boeing Co projected in late June that global demand for 42,595 new commercial jets is expected by 2042, valued at $8 trillion.

"The aviation industry has demonstrated resilience and adaptability after unprecedented disruption, with airlines responding to challenges, simplifying their fleets, improving efficiency and capitalizing on resurgent demand," said Brad McMullen, Boeing's senior vice-president of commercial sales and marketing.

Looking to the future of the air travel market, the latest forecast reflects further evolution of passenger traffic tied to global growth of the middle-income group, investments in sustainability, and continued growth of low-cost carriers, McMullen said.