China’s first C919s get critical ‘C-checks’ as European regulators watch

Three years after its maiden commercial flight as China’s flagship civilian airliner, the C919 is entering a pivotal maintenance phase, with jets across the series being progressively grounded for rigorous inspections.

The results of these safety-focused “C-checks” are expected to play a role in convincing European aviation regulators of the aircraft’s long-term airworthiness.

State-owned carrier China Southern Airlines finished the first C-check of its C919 fleet at the end of May. The process lasted three weeks and required 6,000 man-hours, involving thorough item-by-item inspections where some components were disconnected from the fuselage for testing, the airline said in a statement.

The single-aisle C919 is assembled by the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (Comac) as an alternative to the dominant narrowbody models from Boeing and Airbus, epitomising Beijing’s ambition to challenge the established duopoly.

The periodic C-check is the second most complex step of the standard “A, B, C, D” check hierarchy required by Chinese and Western regulators alike to certify airworthiness. Typically conducted every 18-24 months, or after 4,000-6,000 flight hours or cycles, the inspections serve as an audit of the plane’s durability.

The first C919s delivered to China Southern, China Eastern and Air China have now reached the flight-time and cycles threshold for such checks.