China plans C919 test flights in Southeast Asia en route to possible sales
- China’s C919 and ARJ21 narrowbody passenger jets will carry out demonstration flights in Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia and Vietnam in the next two weeks
- The C919 has only been certified to fly in mainland China, while the ARJ21 has flown commercially since 2016, including in Indonesia
The developer of China’s first home-grown narrowbody passenger jet – seen as a potential competitor to the Airbus A320 and Boeing 737 – said on Tuesday it planned to conduct test flights in Southeast Asia in the next two weeks, with an eye toward sales in the region.
The Shanghai-based Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (Comac) said on its WeChat channel that it would carry out “demonstration flights” of its C919 jets in Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia and Vietnam.
Comac would also demonstrate the smaller ARJ21 narrowbody regional jet alongside the C919 to test their viability along routes and at airports in Southeast Asia, the statement added.
The demonstrations should “lay the foundation for subsequent market development in Southeast Asia,” the statement said.
Comac’s aircraft are designed for regional flights of just a few hours – which are common in the Southeast Asian region.
