COMAC Announces Air China as First Customer for C929 Aircraft

ZHUHAI, China (Reuters) – COMAC announced on Tuesday that Air China is the first customer for its C929 widebody aircraft, currently under development to compete with Airbus and Boeing's twin-aisle models.

The announcement was made by Liu Yan, COMAC's deputy director of marketing, at China’s largest air show in Zhuhai. Liu did not disclose the number of aircraft ordered by Air China or any planned delivery dates.

Additionally, COMAC revealed that Hainan Airlines has placed a firm order for 60 C919 narrowbody and 40 C909 regional jets. Colorful Guizhou Airlines also signed a purchase agreement for 30 C909 planes, with 20 firm orders and the rest provisional.

The C929 is designed to seat between 280 to 400 passengers with a range of 12,000 km (7,500 miles), comparable to Boeing's 787 Dreamliner. The aircraft was renamed from the CR929 in 2023 following Russia's exit from the joint venture developing it.

A report in April indicated that the fuselage manufacturer aims to deliver the first fuselage section by September 2027. COMAC's deputy general manager Tong Yu mentioned in May that a prototype of the C929 will appear soon, with expectations of a test flight happening in the near future, as reported by Tai Kong Pao.