The jet became the center of attention at an airshow this week.
Air China, China Southern Airlines, and China Eastern Airlines first ARJ21s at the delivery ARJ21 ceremony. (Photo: COMAC)
The Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC), has announced that its ARJ21 will rebrand as the C909. It comes after the announcement of the acquisition of 60 ARJ21s by Urumqi Air and Colorful Guizhou Airlines. After rebranding the regional jet, COMAC will be producing three different passenger aircraft: the C909, C919 and C929.
“After careful consideration, a long gestation and asking opinions of many involved parties, we chose to use C909 as a new commercial name to build the brand.” Xiaoguang Zhang, marketing director of the manufacturer, told Reuters.
The rebranding is believed to compete with Airbus and Boeing in the future, but the Chinese aircraft manufacturer is waiting for a green light to operate in the U.S. and Europe. The FAA and the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) have no signs of approving the C909 and C919 to operate yet.
The C909 has cut its flying costs as a result of reducing its weight, resistance, and noise. COMAC told Reuters at the Zhuhai Air Show.
Hainan Airlines, the parent company of Urumqi Air, said 40 C909s are slated to be delivered between 2025 and 2032. In the meantime, Colorful Guizhou Airlines has confirmed an order of 20 C909s with the rights to purchase 10 additional aircraft in the future. COMAC also confirmed that Hainan Airlines had placed an order for 60 COMAC C919s.
Meanwhile, the aircraft manufacturer revealed that Air China could be the first airline to acquire the C929 widebody jet. However, C929 is not going to happen any time soon. Earlier, the manufacturer said the first fuselage section could be delivered by September 2027.
C929 could carry 280 to 400 passengers with a range of 12,000 km, which is considered in the same category as Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner.
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