Industry HNA Group and COMAC sign deal for 300 aircraft

According to aviation media, HNA Group and the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC) have agreed on a strategic cooperation which sees aircraft acquisitions, as well as maintenance and operational cooperation.

HNA Group will order 100 ARJ21 regional aircraft and 200 C919 mid-haul aircraft.

The order will not only boost COMAC as a company, but also the Chinese economy, as the aircraft are being fully built within the country. COMAC is a state-owned aircraft manufacturer. On the other hand, HNA Group will be able to provide its subsidiary airlines with the right regional aircraft to serve new markets with the best possible equipment.

The group is expected to deploy the aircraft on the regional markets in China. Both sides hope to establish a healthy regional aviation business model which helps the branch companies and bases. HNA Group strives to build up a regional network that covers the whole Chinese territory.

Additionally, HNA Group will use especially the C919 aircraft for overseas markets such as Africa. As the HNA group owns a subsidiary airline named Africa World Airlines, manufacturer COMAC hopes to gain deeper penetration in the African regional market.

Moreover, COMAC and HNA Group have agreed to cooperate in aircraft maintenance, personnel training and aircraft parts support. The aim is to establish a fully functioning aircraft service support system in the country.

Back in 2010, HNA has signed a Letter of Intent for 15 C919 aircraft. The C919 is a direct competitor for the Airbus A320 family and the Boeing 737.

HNA Group is a conglomerate, headquartered in Haikou, China. The group was founded in 2000 and its biggest subsidiary airlines are Beijing Capital Airlines, Hainan Airlines, HK Express, Hong Kong Airlines, Lucky Air and Tianjin Airlines. Overall, 13 airlines belong to the group. HNA holds stakes in carriers who are based outside China, including Azul, Aigle Azur, TAP Air Portugal and Virgin Australia.