(Yicai) Aug. 29 -- Air China and China Southern Airlines have received their first C919 aircraft, becoming only the second and third carriers to add the China-made large passenger plane to their fleet.

Developer Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China delivered the new jets to Air China and China Southern at its production base in Shanghai's Pudong district late yesterday. The pair are expected to receive two more C919s each by the end of this year, Yicai learned.

China's Big Three state-owned airlines are Air China, China Southern, and China Eastern Airlines, which was the first carrier to receive a C919 plane in December 2022, with its related fleet having grown to seven since.

Air China and China Southern will conduct certification processes using their new C919, including route verification flights, before commencing commercial passenger flights since it is a new model, Yicai found. The two previously noted that they completed C919-tailored pilot and flight attendant training.

COMAC is speeding up the production of C919 passenger aircraft due to more orders and deliveries. It will likely deliver 13 such jets this year, with the fourth largest Chinese airline Hainan Airlines’unit Suparna Airlines, expecting to receive its first next quarter and China Eastern a total of six this year. By comparison, COMAC delivered 3 units last year.

However, COMAC's pace remains slow compared to the hundreds of aircraft delivered by Airbus and Boeing each year. Any new model starts with small batch deliveries, which then gradually increase year by year, a representative from the Shanghai-based firm told Yicai.

COMAC plans to increase its annual production capacity to 150 C919 planes over the next five years, Deputy General Manager Zhang Yujin said last year.

Editors: Tang Shihua, Martin Kadiev