China's C919 airliner is undergoing its first major maintenance checks, a critical step for its long-term airworthiness and a bid to gain European regulatory approval. China Southern Airlines completed the first 'C-check' in May, a rigorous process involving 6,000 man-hours.
Airbus has secured an order for 137 A320neo jets from China Southern Airlines (102 aircraft) and its subsidiary Xiamen Airlines (35 aircraft) at a combined list price of US$21.37 billion. The deal, announced Wednesday, includes discounts described as fair and consistent with previous Airbus orders. Delivery is scheduled for 2028-2032 for China Southern and 2029-2032 for Xiamen Airlines. The order remains pending shareholder and state authority approval. China Southern becomes the latest Chinese state-owned carrier to choose Airbus, following China Eastern's order of 101 A320neo jets in March and last year's order of 148 A320s from multiple Chinese airlines.
China's C919 aircraft program faces significant delivery shortfalls due to engine supply constraints. Only 3 aircraft were delivered in Q1 2026 against a target of 28+ for the year, with just 35 delivered since late 2022. The C919 relies on the LEAP-1C engine from CFM International (GE Aerospace-Safran joint venture), exposing structural vulnerability when US export restrictions disrupted deliveries last year.
