appConfigEntityId

bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

isVideo

articlePageQuery

article

articleSchemaContent

content

hooksArticlePageAdvertisementConfigArticle

hooksArticlePageFloatingButtonConfigArticle

appConfig

filter

json

liveArticle

Frank Chen

China’s flagship civilian aircraft maker is planning to upgrade the cabin capacity of its C919 narrowbody airliner to improve passenger experience and boost the plane’s chances of challenging the Boeing-Airbus duopoly, a source with knowledge of the plans said.
Bigger overhead luggage compartments and drip-proof air conditioning outlets are among the design upgrades being sketched out by the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (Comac).
“Comac has realised it must make passengers as comfortable as possible on the C919, when the initial novelty surrounding the home-grown jet has fizzled out and there are complaints about cabin experiences,” said the source, who asked not to be named.
The Shanghai-based manufacturer has delivered 37 C919 jets to Chinese airlines. The plane has flown routes to more than 20 Chinese cities since its maiden commercial flight three years ago and had transported 4 million passengers by the end of last year, according to data from the Ministry of Transport.
Along with the need to improve passengers’ flying experience, Comac faces other challenges to the jet’s greater ubiquity, including limited production capacity, engine delays and hurdles to overseas market expansion.
“One issue that constantly annoys passengers flying the C919 – deterring some from choosing the aircraft – is strict luggage inspection at the gate,” the source said. “Passengers are more likely to be asked to check their bags rather than carry them on board, when cabin compartments are easily filled up due to their inadequate size.”

The C919 has smaller overhead compartments than its Western competitors.
The source said Comac was reviewing new designs to significantly increase capacity and take better advantage of the C919’s slightly wider fuselage. That would enable bags and suitcases to be stowed on their sides, like books, rather than flat.
But the design overhaul would still ensure that compartments were placed lower than those on Western planes “to better suit the average height” of domestic passengers, the person said, adding fliers would find it easy to reach overhead light and fan controls when seated.
Other improvements being considered included bigger tray tables and thicker, more ergonomic seat backs.
The source said some design elements that had been praised by passengers and cabin crew would remain, like large windows, ambient cabin LED lights able to create rainbow-like hues and more space in middle seats, galleys and lavatories.
Airlines could also opt to have each seat equipped with charging sockets and entertainment systems, including seat-back touchscreens and remote controls, and even order bespoke configurations for premium cabin set-ups to add more functionality and burnish the carrier’s identity.
The C919 is the marquee product in China’s quest to challenge the Airbus-Boeing duopoly, specifically the Boeing 737 and Airbus A320 series of jets.
With capacity and performance similar to those narrowbody models, it has secured more than 300 firm orders from Chinese airlines. But its reliance on foreign engines is seen as a vulnerability in its supply chain, and a lack of Western certification locks it out of numerous lucrative markets.
To address these issues, Comac is increasing production and seeking a critical safety endorsement from the European Union.


Air China Boeing 747 grounded in New York following gate refuelling incident

More interest in home-grown C919 lays bare demand-supply mismatch at Comac

‘Very smooth’: passenger shares experience on C919’s first commercial international flight

China’s civil aviation ambitions gain some lift

China airliners

China’s Comac looking to upgrade C919 flying experience with more cabin luggage capacity

A flight attendant welcomes passengers on board a China Eastern Airlines C919 at Hong Kong International Airport last year. Photo: Nora Tam

Staff members clean the cabin of a C919 operated by China Eastern Airlines at Harbin Taiping International Airport on April 15. Photo: Xinhua

A China Eastern Airlines C919 at Harbin Taiping International Airport on April 15. Photo: Xinhua

Maker of China’s C919 jet weighs supply chain weaknesses amid delivery delays

A ground crew member directs a C919 jetliner operated by China Eastern Airlines at Harbin Taiping International Airport in Harbin, northeast China’s Heilongjiang province, on April 15. Photo: Xinhua

China’s C919 sees delivery delays in 2026, with 3 units shipped in 3 months

A domestically-produced C919 lands at Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport. Photo: Handout

EU tests of China’s C919 speed up as pilots stay in Shanghai ‘permanently’: sources

A C919 takes to the skies at the Singapore Airshow in February. Photo: AFP

A C919 model on display at the Singapore Airshow at Changi Exhibition Centre, in February. Photo: Reuters

China’s 5-year jet goals target C919 output, a new engine and reduced reliance

Comac’s C919 aircraft on display during Airshow China 2024 in Zhuhai, south China’s Guangdong province. Photo: Xinhua

China plans regulatory change to help C919 jet compete with Airbus and Boeing

A C919 passenger jet performs a fly-by at the Singapore Airshow in 2024. Photo: Xinhua

A C919 passenger jet operated by China Eastern Airlines takes off from an airport in Shanghai. Photo: Xinhua

Economy

China Economy

Global Economy

News

China Future Tech

Aerospace

Aircraft maker reviewing new designs to challenge Boeing and Airbus and take better advantage of plane’s slightly wider fuselage


Aircraft maker reviewing new designs to challenge Boeing and Airbus and take better advantage of plane’s slightly wider fuselage.


China’s Comac looking to upgrade C919 flying experience with more cabin luggage capacity

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Aircraft maker reviewing new designs to challenge Boeing and Airbus and take better advantage of plane’s slightly wider fuselage

Aircraft maker reviewing new designs to challenge Boeing and Airbus and take better advantage of plane’s slightly wider fuselage