Recently, China Eastern Airlines released its fleet operation report for 2023, which shows that the domestic large aircraft C919 has become the model with the highest passenger load factor with an average load factor of 77.03%, fully demonstrating its market attractiveness and passenger recognition. Another domestic regional jet, the ARJ21, is not far behind, ranking third with an average load factor of 75.75%, showing good market performance and passenger satisfaction.
These data not only reflect the improvement of the operational efficiency of China Eastern Airlines, but also reflect the gradual increase in the competitiveness of domestic aircraft in the domestic civil aviation market. Although China Eastern Airlines' C919 and ARJ21 have a total of only 26 aircraft, their performance is enough to attract the attention of the industry. This not only shows the success of China Eastern Airlines in introducing and operating domestically produced aircraft, but also indicates that the future prospects of China's aviation industry are promising.
Not only that, in terms of comprehensive load factor, the C919 is also as high as 79.18%, ranking first among all aircraft types of China Eastern Airlines, significantly higher than the industry average, demonstrating its efficient operation capabilities and strong market competitiveness. The ARJ21 followed with a combined load factor of 75.71%, ranking second among all aircraft types of China Eastern Airlines, also showing good operational efficiency and market performance.
The comprehensive load factor of a passenger aircraft refers to the ratio of the total turnover of passengers and cargo carried by an aircraft to the maximum turnover that a passenger aircraft can provide in a certain period of time. This indicator reflects the efficiency and effectiveness of passenger aircraft in the operation process, and is one of the important economic indicators to measure the operation and management level of airlines.
Specifically, the combined load factor is calculated as follows: combined load factor = (passenger turnover + cargo turnover) / maximum turnover. Among them, passenger turnover usually refers to the number of passenger kilometers, cargo turnover refers to the number of cargo tonnage kilometers, and the maximum turnover is the sum of the maximum passenger and cargo turnover that the passenger aircraft can provide.
The higher the combined load factor, the more efficient the airline's resource utilization and better the operational efficiency. This metric is crucial for airlines as it is directly related to the company's cost control and profitability. A high combined load factor means that airlines are able to generate more revenue while keeping costs low for the same amount of time the aircraft is in operation.
It is understood that as of April 23, 2024, China Eastern Airlines has a total of 718 aircraft in its fleet, with an average age of 9.3 years. Among them, Airbus has three series of A320, A330 and A350, with a total of 454 aircraft, Boeing has three series of B737, B777 and B787, with a total of 238 aircraft, and domestic aircraft have two series of C919 and ARJ21, with 5 and 21 aircraft respectively.