China’s Comac wins one of its biggest overseas orders for C909 jets in Cambodia deal
The landmark agreement could see Air Cambodia buy up to 20 of the jets, highlighting Comac’s growing presence in the region
Chinese-made aircraft are set to spread their wings further in Southeast Asia after Air Cambodia announced what could become the largest ever overseas order for C909 passenger jets.
The airline has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (Comac) for 10 of the jets, with the option to buy 10 more.
“The two sides will closely cooperate on aircraft introduction, operational support and industry development,” according to an online statement by Comac, the Shanghai-based manufacturer that also produces the single-aisle C919 passenger jet.
Announced on Tuesday, the deal made Cambodia the fourth Southeast Asian nation to accept Comac’s nine-year-old regional jet, previously known as the ARJ21, following Indonesia, Laos and Vietnam.
The C909 has a capacity of 78 to 97 seats and was built for short flights of 2,225km to 3,700km (1,380 to 2,300 miles). By July, Comac had delivered 166 of the jets, which have carried more than 24 million passengers on more than 700 routes.
The plane maker has sought to deepen its foothold in the 700 million population Southeast Asia market, opening representative offices in Hong Kong and Singapore last year.
Indonesia’s TransNusa, Lao Airlines and Vietnam’s VietJet collectively operate seven C909 aircraft on 15 routes connecting 18 cities in the region.
The jets have flown in Southeast Asia for the past decade, logging 470,000 passenger trips, according to the Civil Aviation Administration of China.
Also on Tuesday, Comac announced the delivery of its first C909 medical aircraft in Zhengzhou, Henan province, to China Flying Dragon General Aviation, a local carrier with experience in emergency air transport.
The jet would be used in rescue operations, long-range medical support and critical patient transfers. Comac called the delivery “a new milestone in broadening the line-up of China’s home-grown commercial aircraft”.
The model has a maximum payload of 10 tonnes, a range of up to 3,700km (2,300 miles) and can operate from airports located above 2,438 metres (7,998 feet). Its cabin can be reconfigured for various rescue needs, from transporting medical teams and providing aid in remote areas to patient transfers.
Comac said the operator would help build a nationwide air medical rescue network, expand services to Belt and Road Initiative countries and gradually establish a model with global reach.
“The delivery of the C909 medical jet will add a new option for strengthening China’s air medical support system and improving emergency response capabilities,” Comac added.
State broadcaster CCTV reported a day earlier that the aircraft had flown from Shanghai’s Pudong Airport to Shihezi in Xinjiang on a two-day medical mission.
According to the report, the jet had carried a team of specialists and advanced equipment, using a domestically developed 5G telemedicine system to treat patients in the remote western region. It also featured a space for training local doctors.
Comac began developing the C909 in 2002. The state-owned manufacturer is seen as a potential challenger to the Airbus-Boeing duopoly in the global aviation market, but its larger C919 narrowbody aircraft – comparable to the Airbus A320 and Boeing 737 – has yet to secure buyers outside China.