A C919 jetliner of China Eastern Airlines arrives at the Hong Kong International Airport from Shanghai on Jan 1, 2025. - China Daily
PETALING JAYA: AirAsia is edging closer to becoming the first foreign airline to order China’s Comac C919 passenger jet, a move that may reshape the global aviation landscape while also raising questions over the business logic of such a purchase.
The potential deal was confirmed by Tan Sri Tony Fernandes, chief executive officer of Capital A Bhd
, AirAsia’s parent company, during the Belt and Road Summit in Hong Kong, according to a report by SCMP.
When asked about the potential deal, a spokesperson told StarBiz that “the discussions are still in early stages, not much of a story at this point”.
Fernandes described discussions with Comac as “active” and emphasised that AirAsia was serious about introducing the aircraft into its fleet.
While he declined to disclose any order size or pricing, he argued that the acquisition would align with AirAsia’s broader strategy of tapping into South-East Asia’s 700 million-strong population and deepening ties with China as regional travel and trade expand.
At a separate event in Hong Kong hosted by the Malaysian Chamber of Commerce Hong Kong and Macau (Maycham), Transport Minister Anthony Loke urged Comac to be bolder in its global ambitions.
Loke said the state-owned manufacturer had not yet secured any foreign customers for the C919 since its commercial debut in May 2023, despite the aircraft already carrying more than 1.5 million passengers on Chinese carriers such as Air China, China Eastern and China Southern.
He argued that having even a handful of foreign airlines flying the C919 would significantly boost confidence in the jet’s reliability and safety.
Fernandes, who also attended the Maycham event, used Loke’s arguments to his advantage in negotiations, saying he pushed Comac for better pricing by highlighting the symbolic value of AirAsia becoming the jet’s first overseas operator.
He further reassured the audience that AirAsia pilots believed they could convert from flying Airbus jets to the C919 with as little as a day’s training.
“Most of the West is not taking the Comac aircraft seriously. I can tell you, it’s a fantastic aircraft. We are very serious,” Fernandes said, adding that deliveries could come “sooner than we all imagine.”
However, industry observers remain unconvinced that AirAsia will follow through.
Shukor Yusof, founder of aviation consultancy Endau Analytics, told StarBiz he doubted the airline’s commitment.
“I don’t think AirAsia is at all serious about the C919 for several reasons, including Comac’s inability to ramp up production, the unknown residual value of the C919, and the fact that many countries AirAsia flies to have not type-certified the aircraft,” he said.
He added that it made little business sense for an established low-cost carrier with proven Airbus narrow and wide-body fleets to complicate its operations with a new aircraft type from an untested manufacturer.
Shukor stressed that he saw no safety concerns with the C919, but noted that the stigma of a “Made in China” jet would take time to overcome, much as it did with Chinese electric vehicles.
He suggested that Fernandes’ negotiations with Comac might be less about diversifying AirAsia’s fleet and more about securing leverage for better terms with Airbus.
