Low-cost operator Vietjet became the latest international operator of Comac's C909 Regional Jet, with the rental aircraft entering commercial services on April 19th.
Wet-leased C909S from China's Chengdu Airlines has begun operating domestic flights from Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City to Kong Dao.
Con Dao Airport, which has a 1,830m long runway, cannot handle large passenger aircraft with limited connectivity to other points in Vietnam. Currently, Vietnam Airlines is deploying an ATR 72 on flights to Ho Chi Minh City.
According to flight tracking data, the C909 pairs (special hybrid colouring) are B-652G and B-656E. Data from aerial analytics firm Cirium shows that the B-652G was distributed to Chengdu Airlines in 2022 and the B-656E was built in 2024.
Guided by a wet lease, COMAC says that Chengdu Airlines has deployed a “special team” to oversee the preparation of service inputs “to effectively ensure smooth operation of Vietnamese aircraft.”
Vietjet, the All-Airbus operator, is the third Southeast Asian operator of C909, following Indonesia's Transnusa airlines and Laotian Carrier Lao Airlines.
COMAC brought C909 and C919 narrow bodies to Vietnam in February 2024 as part of its efforts to promote aircraft programs to Vietnamese operators.
