COMAC C909 debuts commercial flights in Vietnam
The Chinese jetliner C909 (formerly ARJ21) made its debut on domestic flights in Vietnam on Saturday. Two wet-leased Chengdu Airlines aircraft took over flights from VietJet carrier between Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and Con Dao.
The two aircraft, registered as B-656E and B-652G, arrived in Hanoi from Chengdu on April 12 and sport a hybrid livery bearing the names of the two airlines and the 75-year mark of China-Vietnam relations.
The C909’s debut in Vietnam comes after several months of VietJet having to wait for a change in the country’s civil aviation legislation to allow the operation of Chinese commercial aircraft.
To this end, the government decided to accept the type certification issued by the CAAC (China’s aviation authority) with the same requirements used for approvals issued by the FAA (USA) and EASA (Europe).
Since January, VietJet had hoped to put the two C909s into service for the city of Con Dado, whose runway does not accommodate larger jets.
The low-cost carrier originally planned to lease two Embraer E190s, but ended up taking advantage of COMAC’s interest in expanding its jet operations.
With VietJet, the C909 now flies with three airlines outside China.
In addition to the pioneering TransNusa from Indonesia, Lao Airlines recently took delivery of an aircraft on lease from COMAC, which has been in service since early April.
About the Author
Ricardo Meier
Creator of the website that started in 1996 as a magazine. He also writes on Brazilian websites AUTOO, MOTOO and MetrôCPTM.
