Home Asia China Seeks Approval To Fly C909 Regional Passenger Jets In Vietnam

China Seeks Approval To Fly C909 Regional Passenger Jets In Vietnam

Chinese firm COMAC's Vietnam plans hint at a deliberate marketing strategy to regulators and airlines as it aims to compete internationally with major Western plane makers.
A Comac C919 flies during an aerial display at the Singapore Airshow at Changi Exhibition Centre, in Singapore, February 20, 2024. REUTERS/Edgar Su/File Photo

China’s efforts to expand its presence in international aviation markets through Commercial Aircraft Corporation’s (COMAC) in house developed passenger jets have escalated, as it seeks Vietnam‘s approval to authorise the planes for use in the country, according to two sources familiar with the discussions and documents.

COMAC’s actions in Vietnam demonstrate how the state-owned firm has in the past year embarked on a more deliberate marketing approach to regulators and airlines as it seeks to compete internationally with leading Western planemakers Airbus, and Boeing.

After months of talks, Vietnam’s top private airline VietJet, was supposed to start on Jan. 15 the short-term lease for a domestic route of two C909 regional jets operated by crew from China’s Chengdu Airlines, according to documents seen by Reuters that provide insight into its strategy.

But Vietnam’s aviation regulator has yet to authorise the deal, cautious about greenlighting a plane currently certified only by China and Indonesia, the two people and a third person said.

VietJet’s COMAC Strategy

The lease had been reported by Vietnam’s media, however the approval delay, VietJet’s longer-term strategy for COMAC jets and the planemaker’s efforts to win regulatory approval, including offering favourable financial terms and training, have not been previously reported.

The up to 90-seat C909, until November known as the ARJ21, was China’s first jet engine-powered plane to reach commercial production and entered service in 2016, with around 160 delivered so far.

The regional jet is not as high-profile as COMAC’s more advanced narrowbody C919 plane, but it would allow the planemaker to gain a foothold in one of the world’s fastest-growing aviation markets and boost its visibility outside China ahead of a C919 production ramp-up.

It would also send a message to rivals.

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Regional Jet Talks

VietJet had been talking to a foreign lessor for months to rent two E190 regional jets built by Brazil’s Embraer the top global maker of 90-seat jets, separate sources familiar with the discussions said, with one adding pilots had been in the process of being hired for those planes.

But the talks collapsed late last year, Vietnamese media reported. VietJet intended to use either the Embraer or COMAC planes to connect Vietnam’s main cities to the tourist archipelago of Con Dao, where larger jets cannot land.

The two people with knowledge of VietJet’s talks with COMAC said the Chinese offer was under very attractive financial terms that one of the people said were “too good to resist.”

The people declined to be named because the talks were not public.

VietJet, one of Asia’s largest low-cost carriers with a fleet of around 100 Airbus jets and around 200 Boeing 737 MAX jets on order, declined to comment.

COMAC, Vietnam’s civil aviation authority and Chengdu Airlines did not reply to requests for comment.

(With inputs from Reuters)