Since 2010, China has not reported any crash involving a commercial flight that resulted in more than five deaths. Although there are few details, fatal crashes have also been reported by the People’s Liberation Army (the military wing of the ruling Communist Party), although some details are not available.
CHINA EASTERN AERLINES CORP.
China Eastern, Air China, China Southern Airlines, and HNA Group are all state-owned carriers. The airline was founded in 1995 and is headquartered at Shanghai’s Pudong international Airport. According to the airline’s mid-2021 interim report, its fleet of 749 aircraft includes 291 Boeing 737-series aircraft. The majority of its employees are located in China, with a total of 79,913. In the first half 2021, it carried 44.3 million passengers. China Eastern reported a loss in the first half 2021 of 5.4 billion Yuan ($850 million).
CHINA’S AIRLINE INDUSTRY
The government’s attempt to eradicate COVID-19 has caused financial losses to carriers. It uses a “zero tolerance strategy” that bans most foreigners from China and suspends travel temporarily in major cities. According to Boeing Co., passenger numbers in China exceeded those of the United States for the first time in 2020. This was partly due to the fact that China’s populous regions reopened domestic travel fairly quickly following the coronavirus outbreak. Boeing projects 5.4% annual traffic growth, and believes China should account for one-sixth future airline capacity.
CHINA’S FINAL BIG CRASH
Henan Airlines’ Embraer ERJ 190–100 aircraft carrying 96 passengers and crew crashed just short of the runway while landing in the northeastern Chinese city of Yichun on Aug. 24, 2010. After the fuel caught on fire, 44 people died in the crash. 52 survivors survived. Investigators blame a pilot error for landing at night with reduced visibility.
CHINA’S AIRCRAFT MARK
China is a key market for both Boeing and Airbus Industries, its European counterpart. They hope that Chinese carriers will drive U.S. and European sales flatten.
The Communist Party is determined to compete with them, making its own jetliners and exporting them.
The State-owned COMAC (or the Commercial Aircraft Corp. of China) has released two short-range jetliners, the ARJ21 and the C919, which can carry up to 105 people. According to the company, it is currently working on a twin-aisle long-range plane for up to 290 passengers, the C929.