Deliveries of China’s home-grown C919 narrowbody airliner, billed to challenge mainstream models from Boeing and Airbus, appear to be delayed, with only three units shipped to Chinese carriers in the first quarter of 2026.
Observers point to several factors holding back the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (Comac). While some C919s are said to be stuck on the tarmac waiting for engines, analysts also say prioritising quality over speed is the right bet for the planemaker.
Only three C919 deliveries have taken place this year to date – two were issued to China Southern on February 5 and March 2 and one went to Air China on March 27 – with no shipment in January, checks of airline records by the South China Morning Post and data from UK-based aviation consultancy IBA showed.
A total of 35 C919s have been delivered since December 2022, when China Eastern received the first unit. The apparent stall suggests Comac may be falling behind its own schedule.
“It could again be C919s sitting with their wings bare – the CFM Leading Edge Aviation Propulsion (LEAP) engines are not arriving,” said Jason Zheng, an analyst with the Shanghai-based consultancy Airwefly.
“While planes wait for engines, engines wait for key parts like blades.”
CFM is a US-France joint venture established by GE Aerospace and Safran.
“Comac is racing against Boeing, Airbus and even airlines in the unrelenting scramble for access to scarce engines and it may be losing out in allocation,” Zheng said, pointing to a persistent mismatch between record-high demand and a fragile supply chain.
