China and Malaysia recently issued a joint statement, clearly mentioning "support for Malaysian airlines to introduce and operate Chinese commercial aircraft."It is understood that the Chinese commercial aircraft referred to in the statement,Mainly refers to the C909 and C919 aircraft produced by Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC).
It is reported that the C909 regional passenger aircraft has currently flown to three Southeast Asian countries, with customers in Indonesia, Vietnam and Laos; the C919 mainline aircraft is serving the domestic market on China's three major airlines and will achieve breakthroughs overseas as soon as 2026.
Malaysia Airlines Group Managing Director Datuk Izan Ismail said in an interview that the company is formulating a fleet expansion plan in the next few years and is closely evaluating the purchase of COMAC aircraft. The teams of both parties have had multiple rounds of communication. C909, C919, etc. are all under consideration.
It is reported that C909 is renamed from ARJ21, and the naming is unified. Together with C919 and C929, it forms the "Three Musketeers" of domestic aircraft.
The C909 has a range of 2,225-3,700 kilometers, a maximum take-off weight of 40,500 kilograms, and a maximum operating altitude of 11,900 meters. It has the characteristics of adaptability, comfort, economy, commonality, and serialization.
The C919 is my country's first mainline jet airliner independently developed in accordance with internationally accepted airworthiness standards and with independent intellectual property rights. It has a seating capacity of 158-192 and a range of 4,075-5,555 kilometers.
The final assembly was completed on November 2, 2015, and the first flight was successfully carried out on May 5, 2017. It obtained the type certificate issued by the Civil Aviation Administration of China on September 29, 2022, the world's first aircraft was delivered on December 9, 2022, and the first commercial flight was successfully completed on May 28, 2023.