[By GuanchaNet Columnist Zhang Zhonglin]

As the C909 passenger aircraft gradually expands its presence in the Southeast Asian market, the efforts and strength behind it have come to light. This domestically produced aircraft, designed to compete with mainstream international medium-sized passenger planes, not only carries the ambition of China's aviation industry but also wins the favor of Southeast Asian airlines with its unique competitiveness and market adaptability.

On March 30, COMAC delivered the first C909 jetliner to Lao Airlines. This marks the first entry of a domestically produced jetliner into Laos' aviation market and becomes the second overseas user of the C909, another milestone for domestically produced jets going abroad. Not long after successfully entering Laos, Reuters revealed that Vietnam's largest private airline, VietJet Air, would also introduce the COMAC C909 in mid-April.

Although the introduction of the C909 by Vietnam's VietJet Air has yet to be officially announced, Vietnam has already made adequate preparations for introducing the C909. The Vietnamese government has urged the Ministry of Transport to revise the airworthiness regulations to clear the way for the C909's introduction. It can be said that Vietnam's introduction of the C909 is just a matter of time; it's only a matter of when the second shoe will drop. If we include Vietnam, which is about to introduce the aircraft, the C909 will have successfully entered three countries, all of which are Southeast Asian nations.

The fact that the first batch of users are all Southeast Asian countries is not a coincidence. Apart from them being "Belt and Road" co-building nations, which offer certain preferential policies, the C909 itself is also very suitable for the Southeast Asian market environment, having won its place in the Southeast Asian market through genuine capabilities.

Iron Sharpens Through Hard Work

As the first overseas user of the C909, Indonesia's Lion Air has been using the C909 for more than two years and has rich operational experience. Under Lion Air's operation, the C909 averages at least six segments per day, higher than the domestic average for C909 operations.

In addition, Lion Air has even set the highest daily operation record for the C909: 15.88 hours of total operating time, executing eight flight segments. Such an intensity of use would be unimaginable even within domestic operations. Besides Lion Air's boldness in flying, this is also due to the C909's excellent quality and high reliability, which can support such high-intensity usage.

Lion Air of Indonesia, the first overseas user of the C909, set the longest daily operating time record for the C909

Besides its high quality, the C909 also has good high-temperature performance and short-narrow runway takeoff and landing capabilities, adapting well to the Southeast Asian environment. This is partly because the engine used in the C909 is the CF34-10A, which is one of the more powerful models in the CF34 family. When installed on the C909, it has "larger power reserves." If calculated based on the ratio of total engine thrust to empty aircraft weight, it will be found that the C909's thrust-to-weight ratio is 0.65, while the main competitor CRJ-1000's thrust-to-weight ratio is 0.57, placing it in the top tier among regional jets.

This makes the C909 have certain power advantages when operating in the high temperature and plateau environments of Southeast Asia. High temperatures and altitudes can negatively affect engines, causing a reduction in thrust. In such cases, having larger power reserves allows the aircraft to maintain sufficient power despite the reduction in thrust caused by high temperatures and altitudes. Aircraft without sufficient power redundancy either need longer takeoff distances or must limit maximum takeoff weight, resulting in reduced passenger and cargo capacity for reduced-load flights. If the runway is long enough, extending the takeoff distance may be acceptable, but airports in Southeast Asia often lack such ideal conditions, with runways that are narrower and shorter. This increases the intensity requirements for aircraft takeoffs. Therefore, aircraft with strong power are better suited for use in Southeast Asian airports.

Moreover, due to the poor condition of Southeast Asian airport runways and lower levels of apron management, the threat of FOD (Foreign Object Debris) is higher than at regular airports. In such situations, the C909's tail-mounted engine layout, with engines positioned higher, adapts better to conditions at poorer airports. This is why, although some competitors like the ERJ190 are excellent products, their wing-mounted engine layout makes them less capable of dealing with FOD compared to the C909's tail-mounted configuration.

The ERJ190's wing-mounted layout has many advantages, but its ability to handle FOD is inferior to the C909's tail-mounted layout

Good Service Makes It Useful

For aircraft, while economic efficiency and flight performance are important, a good maintenance system is equally crucial. If we compare it to a car, a high-end imported vehicle might look great, but if there are no maintenance outlets locally and no spare parts, a breakdown could mean waiting months for parts shipped from overseas. On the other hand, if there are numerous dealerships or maintenance outlets locally, similar issues might be resolved in as little as two or three days, or at most a week.

Aircraft have extremely high asset values, often purchased or leased through financial financing, with daily costs associated with loan repayments or rentals. This makes aircraft availability a critical metric. With every passing day comes loan or rental payments, making it essential to restore operations as quickly as possible even if an aircraft is grounded due to a fault. Whether it takes weeks to repair after sending a team from headquarters with parts, or whether the issue can be handled on-site within a day or two, often significantly influences a customer’s decision to purchase an aircraft.

Currently, COMAC’s overseas users only include Indonesia, Laos, and future Vietnam, far fewer than the two major regional jet giants—Embraer and Bombardier. These two giants have long dominated the regional jet market, with customers spread worldwide, and they possess comprehensive customer service networks providing services ranging from training, maintenance, operations, and spare parts. This is precisely COMAC's biggest shortcoming at present—lacking a global service network. Thus, delivering the C909 to Lao Airlines is not only about selling an airplane but also exemplifies the new model of "Made in China" going global—exporting a complete suite of service and support capabilities.

To ensure the smooth operation of this aircraft in Laos, COMAC established a specialized team to assist Lao Airlines throughout the process of receiving and utilizing the new airliner. From writing the flight manual to training pilots and maintenance personnel, from supplying spare parts to establishing a maintenance system, COMAC provided substantial support to Lao Airlines. In essence, what was delivered was not just a single C909, but an entire experienced team packaged and sent to Laos.

To make Lao Airlines feel secure in using the aircraft, COMAC dispatched support teams comprising professionals in flight, cabin crew, operations control, maintenance, and more, helping Lao Airlines establish a comprehensive MRO (Maintenance, Repair, Overhaul) system, ensuring safe and efficient operations of the C909. New crew members of Lao Airlines familiarize themselves with flying this aircraft under the guidance of Chinese instructors, while ground staff and maintenance personnel learn maintenance techniques under the supervision of Chinese engineers.

This deep engagement in the entire customer operation process demonstrates a shift in China's civil aircraft export strategy: no longer simply selling products but exporting a full suite of capabilities and service systems to ensure customers can use them effectively.

For a country like Laos, which is introducing the C909 for the first time, purchasing the aircraft is just the first step; more importantly, it needs to establish the flight standards, MRO systems, and talent pool required to operate the C909. COMAC is fully aware of this and provides a “nanny-style” service, guiding Lao Airlines step-by-step in building local operational capabilities for the C909. This ensures smooth operations while earning good reputation, learning from historical lessons in the export of civilian aircraft.

The Prospects for the C909 in Southeast Asia

On April 12, two C909s destined for VietJet Air have already departed for Vietnam. Unlike the leasing model chosen by Indonesia and Laos, VietJet Air has wet-leased two C909s from Chengdu Airlines for a period of six months. In the aviation sector, the difference between renting and leasing, though just one character apart, is significant; renting is short-term usage, while leasing is often akin to a purchase agreement. Furthermore, the distinction between wet leasing and dry leasing determines who operates the aircraft, who maintains it, and who handles repairs.

Therefore, after choosing wet leasing, the two C909s not only belong to Chengdu Airlines but also include the complete operational support including the crew and maintenance team. VietJet Air does not need to immediately invest in C909 type training or build a corresponding logistics system to quickly adopt the new aircraft for route operations, offering high flexibility. However, this also indicates that VietJet Air's attitude is clear: this is an experimental operation to test the aircraft's performance and compatibility.

VietJet Air's choice is also commercially reasonable. Using the analogy of buying a car, renting it for a month before purchasing to see if there are any problems is quite rational. A six-month lease period allows VietJet Air to test the C909's performance and compatibility in actual operations, observe passenger feedback and maintenance costs, and decide whether to proceed with a long-term introduction. As one of the first operators of the C909 in China, Chengdu Airlines has rich operational experience, providing stable and reliable support during the initial operation of the C909 for VietJet Air.

From another perspective, this is also a smart export strategy: initially wet-leasing the aircraft for trial runs overseas, and then proceeding with long-term leasing and eventual procurement if satisfied. This approach is also related to the different approval processes for leasing and wet leasing in Vietnam, where the lower threshold for wet leasing makes it easier to enter the Vietnamese market currently.

Meanwhile, Vietnam is clearing obstacles for the introduction of the C909, viewing it as a landmark project in Sino-Vietnamese economic cooperation. As early as 2024, work had begun to introduce the C909 into Vietnam, but due to Vietnam's airworthiness regulations, the process has been fraught with challenges. There are additional approval restrictions for Vietnam airlines to introduce Chinese-made aircraft, requiring each aircraft to be wet-leased and individually apply for airworthiness certification. Therefore, while allowing VietJet Air to fly the C909 via wet leasing, the Vietnamese government is also revising relevant laws and regulations to prepare for formal introduction.

Due to the PW GTF engine issue, a large number of VietJet Air's A321s were grounded, creating a huge capacity gap

Moreover, with the failure of the U.S. attempt to annex Bombardier and the subsequent integration of Bombardier into Airbus and Mitsubishi, the once-dominant E-Jet series of Embraer has now fallen into functional extinction with its production halt. This leaves the regional jet market with only two choices: Embraer's E-series and COMAC's C909.

However, Embraer's production capacity clearly cannot meet the global demand for regional jets, objectively creating a vast market space for the C909. In this situation, Vietnam's introduction of COMAC aircraft is not only a political gesture but also a commercial consideration. For Vietnam airlines, having a new option not only brings confidence in future negotiations with Boeing and Airbus but also provides an opportunity to break the duopoly of Boeing and Airbus in the Southeast Asian aviation market.

The C909s of Lao Airlines adorned with lotus flowers represent the image of Made in China. Each of their flights is the best advertisement for China's large aircraft. It can be foreseen that as the Fenghuang soars southeast, the entire Southeast Asian aviation market will gradually accept the C909 and embrace Chinese aircraft. Once the C909 is introduced, how far away can the C919 be? By then, the oligopoly market dominated by Boeing and Airbus will gradually be broken.

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Original source: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7493345223376978469/

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