AIRCRAFT - First plateau version aircraft of C919 completes maiden flight

The first plateau version aircraft of C919 conducted its maiden flight test at Shanghai Pudong International Airport on July 29th, 2026. 

It flew for 1 hour and 59 minutes, and completed all the scheduled flight test subjects, marking an important step forward in the series development of C919 aircraft. 

On the basis of the baseline version aircraft, the plateau version aircraft of C919 has adopted targeted designs such as shortening the fuselage and improving the system functions to meet the requirements of operation at plateaus. 

Photographers: Wang Jiliang and Xu Bingnan)

 

COMAC

AIRCRAFT - COMAC tests first C919-600 prototype at Shanghai Pudong

Photo: Flyingphotos / AI

COMAC (Shanghai Pudong) has taken another step in the development of the C919-600, a shortened variant of the C919-100STD. The first prototype, B-002U (msn 00032), conducted taxi tests at Shanghai Pudong in June 2026, ahead of a planned first flight in 2027. Six fuselage frames were removed from the standard variant to reduce weight, and the aircraft is expected to accommodate between 138 and 160 passengers.

Designed for operations at high-altitude airports, the new type is being developed jointly with Xizang Airlines (TV, Lhasa) for use on its Tibet network, currently dominated by A319-100Ns and B737-700s. The Chinese carrier has 40 units on order, first announced in 2023.

CH Aviation

FLEET - COMAC and Deer Jet Launch CBJ Operations

    2026 marks the tenth anniversary of C909 commercial operations. Image: Deer Jet

COMAC and Deer Jet announced today the official commercial entry into service of the world's first COMAC Business Jet (CBJ), with a maiden charter flight operating from Shanghai Hongqiao to Beijing Capital Airport on June 22.

COMAC offers a range of customizable cabin configurations to suit different operator needs. Image: Deer Jet

 A ceremony marking the occasion was held at Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport. Attendees included COMAC General Manager Shen Bo and COMAC Chief Accountant Yu Shihai; Liaoning Fangda Group Senior Vice President and HNA Aviation Group Chairman Ding Yongzheng; and Deer Jet Business Jet Group President and Shanghai Deer Jet Chairman Zhou Wei. Representatives from the Changning District Government, Civil Aviation Shanghai Regulatory Bureau, Shanghai Hongqiao Customs, Shanghai Hongqiao Border Inspection, Shanghai Airport Authority, and Shanghai East Hongqiao Investment Development Group were also present. Image: COMAC

The CBJ is a derivative of COMAC's C909 regional jet, originally designated the ARJ21‑700.
The ARJ21‑700 airframe received type certification in 2014. The CBJ configuration received its Validation Type Certificate in March 2021.

Seating capacity ranges from 12 to 29 passengers, with typical configurations accommodating 12 to 19 seats.

The aircraft offers a typical flight endurance of five hours, with optional supplementary fuel tanks available.

Designed for high-altitude performance, the CBJ is validated to operate at airfields up to 4,411 m (14,470 ft), including Daocheng Yading Airport—the world’s highest civilian airport, and is optimized for plateau and high-temperature operations.

COMAC offers a range of customizable cabin configurations to suit different operator needs.

Plan A seats 15 passengers with 11 luxury seats, two couches, two business-class seats, a VIP suite, two lavatories, and two crew seats.

Plan B accommodates 13 passengers with six couches, five luxury seats, two business-class seats, a VIP suite, two lavatories, and one crew seat.

Plan C maximizes lounge space for 17 passengers with 12 couches, three luxury seats, two business-class seats, a VIP suite, two lavatories, and one crew seat.

Plan D seats 18, balancing nine luxury seats, three couches, six business-class seats, nine flat-available seats, a VIP suite, two lavatories, and one crew seat.

The largest layout, Plan E, supports 29 passengers with 22 business-class seats, four luxury seats, three couches, two flat-available seats, a VIP suite, two lavatories, and two crew seats.

Across all configurations, the CBJ features a full VIP suite with a 1.5-m (4.9 ft) double bed and private lavatory, a reception area with lie-flat first-class seats, and a meeting/dining area with an eight-seat table and satellite phone.

The rear cabin includes a bar, coffee station, oven, and steward seat, while sound insulation keeps noise levels as low as 55 dB in the VIP suite and below 65 dB elsewhere.

Optional phased-array broadband satcom provides high-speed internet and cockpit-cabin connectivity, and foldable boarding ladders enhance operational flexibility at airports without jet bridges.

CHINAEVTOLNEWS

AIRCRAFT - ARJ21 gets commercial name C909 COMAC unifies names of aircraft products as "COMAC+"

Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China, Ltd. (COMAC) held a product conference during the 15th China International Aviation & Aerospace Exhibition (Airshow China), announcing that ARJ21 aircraft got a commercial name C909, and unifying the names of its aircraft products as "COMAC + Model". At this point, the names of the three commercial aircraft products of COMAC are "COMAC C909", "COMAC C919" and "COMAC C929", respectively.

As a "good partner of the trunk liner", since C909 aircraft was put into commercial operation in 2016, a total of 150 aircraft have been delivered, safely carrying more than 17 million passengers. COMAC has continually promoted product improvement and optimization to unceasingly improve the performance, the crew operation experience and the cabin comfortability of C909 aircraft. Now, C909 aircraft is available in a variety of cabin layouts, including a two-class layout with 78 seats, an all economy-class layout with 90 seats, and a high-density economy-class layout with 95 or 97 seats; has excellent take-off and landing performance and crosswind resistance at airports with short and narrow runways in severe cold, high temperature and plateau conditions; and has strong adaptability to the operating environment in border areas of China and overseas regions such as Southeast Asia and Africa. C909 aircraft is suitable for relying on regional airports or sub-hub airports to build route networks and supplement transport capacity for hub airports. In addition, C909 aircraft can carry out commercial flight using Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) with a mixing ratio of up to 50% to meet the diversified demands of customers.

With the comprehensive transformation of the trunk liner program from development phase to industrialization phase, large-scale and serialized development is steadily advanced, and more and more China-made commercial aircraft are put into route operation. COMAC's unifying the names of aircraft products is conducive to shaping the image of serialized products and further enhancing product identification and brand influence. COMAC will continue to deliver commercial aircraft products which are safer, more economic, more comfortable and more environmental-friendly, and inject more COMAC wisdom and strength into the development of the global air transport industry.


COMAC

AIRCRAFT - COMAC scores orders for C909

During the first day of the Zhuhai Air Show, COMAC has announced orders from two airlines for the C909.

The HNA Group has ordered 40 C909s (formerly known as the ARJ21), which it will allocate to its Urumqi Air-subsidiary. Deliveries of the aircraft is expected to take place between 2025 and 2032. Today, Urumqi Air is operating a fleet of seven Boeing B737-800s. It also expects to take delivery of up to 60 C919s, an order the HNA Group agreed to with COMAC in 2023.

Colorful Guizhou Airlines also announced an order for the C909. In total, the airline has placed a firm order for 20 aircraft, with options on another ten. No delivery timeline has been communicated by either COMAC or Colorful Guizhou Airlines. Currently, the airline is flying with ten Airbus A320neos and nine Embraer ERJ190s.

Photo by HNA Group.

FLEET - First ARJ21-700(F)s delivered

COMAC delivered the first two ARJ21-700s that have been converted into freighters. The aircraft involved are B-3388 (109), destined for China Central Longhao Airlines, and B-3329 (112), destined for YTO Cargo Airlines.

COMAC announced the conversion programme in May 2020, with certification of the aircraft occuring in January 2023. The conversion programme is carried out by Guangzhou Aircraft Maintenance Engineering Company, a joint-venture of China Southern Airlines and HAECO.

The ARJ21-700(F) has a payload of up to 10 tonnes with a maximum range of a bit over 2,700 kilometers. It's unclear how many ARJ21s are currently being converted.

Photo by COMAC.