China Southern, Air China receive their first domestically manufactured C919 planes

The domestically produced C919 large passenger jet was officially delivered to Air China and China Southern Airlines from its manufacturer Commercial Aircraft Corp of China, marking another milestone as the aircraft manufacturer steps up production capacity.

This expand's COMAC's customer base following the delivery of the first C919 to Shanghai-headquartered China Eastern Airlines in December 2022.

"This marks the scalable operation of domestic-made jetliners and China's booming civil aviation industry provides huge potential for the future development of locally made aircraft," said Hu Zhenjiang, deputy administrator of the Civil Aviation Administration of China.

The delivery ceremony was held on Wednesday at COMAC's manufacturing base adjacent to Shanghai Pudong International Airport.

The two major government-backed airlines represent the C919's second and third customers, following China Eastern Airlines.

A total of nine planes have now been delivered, including seven already operated by China Eastern.

Air China's C919 model has a cabin configuration of 158 seats – eight business class seats and 150 economy class seats.

China Southern's initial C919 aircraft will have business, premium economy and economy classes for a total of 164 seats.

China Eastern took delivery of the first C919 aircraft from COMAC in December 2022.

The carrier currently operates five regular commercial routes using the C919 with a combined 3,600 flights and 10,000 flight hours.