Chinese language COMAC, producer of the C919 jet, goals for flights in Southeast Asia by 2026

BEIJING (Reuters) – Chinese language state planemaker COMAC needs its C919 jet to start out flying business routes to Southeast Asia by 2026, a primary step towards increasing past its home market , a senior firm official informed Chinese language media.

COMAC, Industrial Plane Company of China, can be aiming for European certification for the C919 as early as this 12 months, Yang Yang, deputy normal director of the corporate’s advertising heart, informed the Jiemian information web site, affiliated with the Shanghai authorities, in a current interview.

China Jap Airways, the primary operator of the C919, built-in Hong Kong into its C919 route community from January 1, making the monetary hub the aircraft’s first vacation spot exterior mainland China. Yang didn’t say whether or not COMAC was in talks with airways about flights to Southeast Asia or different international markets.

The C919 can be presently operated by Air China and China Southern Airways.

Positioned as a competitor to the Boeing 737 and the Airbus A320, the C919 presently solely flies in China and should purchase worldwide airworthiness certificates to enter the worldwide market.

“We hope to extend the operational deployment of C919 plane in China, to completely determine any potential issues earlier than increasing to Southeast Asia,” Yang stated.

COMAC didn’t instantly reply to a Reuters request for remark.

Shanghai-based COMAC is eager to enter the Southeast Asian market earlier than tackling Western markets, at a time when business giants Boeing and Airbus are grappling with challenges similar to chain provide and labor points.

In 2024, COMAC delivered a complete of 12 C919 plane to 3 state-owned airways. The corporate stated in 2023 it expects the annual C919 manufacturing capability to succeed in 150 inside 5 years.

(Reporting by Sophie Yu and Ryan Woo; enhancing by Susan Fenton)