China’s C909 passenger jet spreads wings with VietJet, after TransNusa, Lao Airlines

China’s domestically developed C909 passenger jet has expanded its regional presence, with two of them beginning commercial operations with Vietnam’s budget airline VietJet on Saturday.

Their debut makes Vietnam the third Southeast Asian country to sign on the planes made by the state-owned Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (Comac), after Indonesia and Laos.

According to a statement from Comac on Saturday, the civilian jets have been leased from Chinese regional carrier Chengdu Airlines, and will operate on domestic routes between Vietnamese capital Hanoi and Con Dao Island off southern Vietnam, and between Con Dao Island and business hub Ho Chi Minh City.

The two C909 aircraft would “boost [VietJet Air’s] fleet capacity, expand regional routes, and support the growth of Vietnam’s air transport market”, the statement said.

Chengdu Airlines will also provide the crew, maintenance, safety and operational support under the lease terms, it added.

Three overseas carriers – Indonesia’s TransNusa, Lao Airlines, and VietJet Air – have launched 15 Southeast Asian routes in all with the C909, carrying over 250,000 passengers to date, the statement said.

News of the VietJet lease came days after Vietnamese regulatory reforms allowing airlines to import aircraft certified by Brazil, Canada, Russia, Britain and China. The government decree, which took effect on April 13, expands a previous policy that restricted imports to aircraft certified by Vietnam, the United States or the European Union.

South China Morning Post