Chinese state-controlled Comae and ABC Financial Leasing have announced an order for 45 C919s, bringing the claimed number to 280 for the 158-seat airliner. The actual number of aircraft that the lessor has ordered is unclear, however, because Comae has previously counted options as orders, and even some of the orders have not been binding, according to industry officials who have seen the documents. For the same reason, the number of aircraft that Comae is definitively contracted to deliver, if any, is fewer than 280. Eleven of the C919's 12 customers are companies linked to the Chinese state. The 12th is General Electric Capital Aviation Services, which is affiliated with the program's engine supplier, CFM. ABC Financial Leasing is a subsidiary of one of the country's largest state banks, Agricultural Bank of China. The first flight is due in 2014 and first delivery in 2016.
展开▼
