China’s Homegrown C909 Jet Finds New Lift in Southeast Asia With Cambodian Deal
00:00/00:00
Listen to this article
1x
Subscribe now
Listen to the full version
Listen to the full version
A Commercial Aircraft Corp of China Ltd.’s ARJ21 aircraft during a flying display at the Singapore Airshow on Feb. 22, 2024.
China’s homegrown C909 regional jet has secured its fourth overseas customer, marking another step in Beijing’s push to expand its aviation industry across Southeast Asia.
Cambodia’s flag carrier signed a memorandum of understanding on Monday with state-owned Commercial Aircraft Corp. of China Ltd. (COMAC) to purchase 20 C909 aircraft. The deal includes 10 firm orders and 10 options, COMAC announced the following day.
You've accessed an article available only to subscribers
VIEW OPTIONS
Unlock exclusive discounts with a Caixin group subscription — ideal for teams and organizations.
Subscribe to both Caixin Global and The Wall Street Journal — for the price of one.
- RELATED
Share this article
Open WeChat and scan the QR code
- DIGEST HUB
Digest Hub
Back
What Happened When
- 2021：
- Henan Airport Group bought a 28% stake in Air Cambodia, becoming the second-largest shareholder.
- 2023：
- Air Cambodia set up its China headquarters in Zhengzhou.
- 2024：
- Weekly flights between Zhengzhou and Phnom Penh by Air Cambodia increased to three.
- 2024：
- COMAC rebranded the ARJ21 as the C909 at the Zhuhai Airshow.
- 2024：
- COMAC delivered a record 35 C909s.
- By April 2024：
- 88 C909 aircraft orders were still outstanding with China's 'big three' state airlines plus regional carriers.
- October 2024：
- TransNusa launched flights from Manado, Indonesia, to Guangzhou using the C909, becoming the first foreign airline to do so on China routes.
- March 2025：
- Lao Airlines took delivery of its first dry-leased C909 jet.
- April 2025：
- Lao Airlines launched commercial service between Vientiane and Pakse using the C909.
- April 2025：
- VietJet introduced two wet-leased C909s into service, flying from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City and the Con Dao islands.
- August 2025：
- Three foreign carriers flew the C909 on 10 international and domestic routes with a combined 564 flights in August alone.
- As of mid-2025：
- 166 C909 planes had been delivered, with 157 in service across 12 airlines.
- 2025-09-08：
- Cambodia's flag carrier signed a memorandum of understanding to purchase 20 C909 aircraft from COMAC.
- 2025-09-09：
- COMAC announced the details of the deal with Air Cambodia and delivered its first medical evacuation variant of the C909 to China Flying Dragon General Aviation Co. Ltd.
AI generated, for reference only
- PODCAST
- MOST POPULAR
Sign in with Google
Sign in with Facebook
Sign in with 财新