[Source/Observer Network by Shao Yun]

On June 19, the South China Morning Post reported that according to informed sources, COMAC told its foreign partners at the Paris Air Show this week that the target for the commercial first flight of the C929 wide-body aircraft is before 2035.

The same informed source, who wished to remain anonymous, added that although this time frame is longer than previously estimated, it is consistent with the "long-term planning" adopted by European and American manufacturers such as Boeing and Airbus when developing their first wide-body aircraft, reflecting COMAC's cautious attitude and emphasis on safety.

In addition, the report said that COMAC also revealed that the C929 is expected to obtain the type certificate (TC) domestically in 2032. "Currently, we plan to obtain the TC in 2032," a senior manager of COMAC said during a presentation at the Paris Air Show this week. "The C929 has entered the detailed design phase... This is our future. We hope to provide customers with a brand-new twin-aisle aircraft."

Local time on June 16, 2025, Paris-Le Bourget Airport, 55th Paris Air Show, COMAC exhibited the basic model of the C929 aircraft. Visual China

According to COMAC's official website, the C929 is China's first jet long-range wide-body passenger aircraft developed according to international common airworthiness standards and with independent intellectual property rights. Its basic model seat capacity is 280 seats, with an estimated maximum passenger capacity of up to 440 people, a maximum range of 12,000 kilometers, approximately equivalent to the distance from Shanghai to New York, which can widely meet the global demand for international and regional air passenger transportation.

Last April, the C929 project held a joint attack launch conference. Deputy Director of the Civil Aviation Shanghai Certification Center and C919 aircraft review team leader Yuwen Jie disclosed in May of the same year that COMAC is conducting relevant work for the airworthiness application, and is expected to submit a TC application to the Civil Aviation Administration by the end of the year.

Currently, the C929 remains in the design stage, and domestic suppliers are expected to begin delivering large components including the middle section of the fuselage from 2027. COMAC previously did not announce a timetable for the first flight of the C929.

On the first day of this Paris Air Show (June 16), COMAC signed cooperation memorandums for the C929 project with companies such as Safran Group of France and Krueger Inc. of the United States, involving providing equipment such as brake control systems, ice detectors, tire pressure monitoring, and door sensors for the C929. However, the engine model selected for the C929 has not been announced yet.

After the entry of the domestically produced large aircraft C919 into commercial operations, the development of the C929 has become the focus of China's large aircraft research and development. It is reported that the C929 is benchmarked against double-aisle long-range wide-body aircraft such as Boeing B787 and Airbus A350. Compared with the C919, the C929 has stronger range capability and carrying capacity.

From formal delivery in December 2022 to its commercial first flight in May 2023, the C919 has now been in regular commercial operation for two years. To date, the C919 routes have covered 16 cities in China, including Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen, four major mainland cities, as well as Chongqing, Chengdu, Wuhan, Hangzhou, Xi'an, Shenyang, Taiyuan, Wenzhou, Changsha, Haikou, and Sanya among 11 other cities.

In addition, since January this year, the C919 has been operating daily flights between Shanghai and Hong Kong, marking the first cross-border daily flight of this aircraft model.

In an interview earlier this year, Yang Yang, deputy general manager of COMAC Marketing Center, said that the company aims to have C919 aircraft operate in Southeast Asia by 2026 and obtain European certification as early as this year. Michael O'Leary, CEO of Irish Ryanair, wrote to U.S. senior senators on May 1st, stating that if tariffs lead to a significant increase in aircraft prices, the company may cancel hundreds of Boeing orders and consider other suppliers, including COMAC.

The South China Morning Post added that informed sources revealed that COMAC plans to launch an extended improved version of the C919, with a longer range and greater carrying capacity, targeting commercial operations by 2030. The high-altitude version of the C919 suitable for high-altitude airports is also planned to make its first flight next year and obtain domestic airworthiness certification in 2027.

In addition, the ARJ21 regional aircraft manufactured by COMAC has been commercially operated for two years with Indonesia's low-cost airline TransNusa. As the first foreign customer of this series of aircraft, TransNusa operates 14 domestic routes and three international routes in Indonesia, including two routes flying to Guangzhou and Shanghai, resulting in an average deployment time of 8 hours per day for the C909.

In March, the Laos Civil Aviation Authority issued a Type Acceptance Certificate (ATC) for the C909 aircraft to COMAC, meaning that the model has met the basic conditions for commercial operations in Laos. On March 30, COMAC delivered the first C909 aircraft to Lao Airlines, marking the first entry of China's jet airliners into the Laotian market.

On April 19, two C909 aircraft wet-leased by Chengdu Airlines to Vietjet Air officially opened the往返 route between "Ha Noi-Ki Nieng-Ho Chi Minh City", marking the start of commercial operations of Chinese commercial aircraft in Vietnam. By April, three overseas airlines in Indonesia, Laos, and Vietnam - TransNusa, Lao Airlines, and Vietjet Air - had cumulatively used the C909 aircraft to open 15 routes in Southeast Asia, transporting over 250,000 passengers.

This article is an exclusive contribution from Observer Network and cannot be reprinted without permission.

Original Source: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7517683126375383588/

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