On July 18, the WeChat public account "Cambodia National Airlines" announced that Cambodia National Airlines and China Commercial Aircraft Corporation signed a deal to purchase 20 C909 aircraft in Shanghai on the 17th. This signing marks Cambodia National Airlines as the first foreign airline to purchase a large number of Chinese C909 aircraft. The first batch of aircraft is scheduled to be delivered and put into operation in the second half of this year.
Cambodia National Airlines is an airline invested in and legally established by the Government of the Kingdom of Cambodia. It is the only airline in Cambodia that has received the International Air Transport Association's Operational Safety Audit Certification (IOSA), and it is also the only airline to have received a three-star rating from Skytrax.
It is reported that before signing the contract, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet met with Shen Bo, General Manager of Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China, and Chhay David, CEO of Cambodia Airlines. He extended warm welcome and congratulations to the successful operation of the COMAC C909 in Cambodia, and expressed great appreciation for their cooperation with Cambodia Airlines.
Hong Manai stated that he supports the various initiatives and strategic plans jointly developed by COMAC, the Cambodian Civil Aviation State Secretariat, and Cambodia Airlines. These efforts aim to cultivate talent and enhance the modernization level of the Cambodian aviation industry as well as its regional and global competitiveness. He also emphasized that relevant ministries and agencies of the Cambodian government will provide full support for the operation of the COMAC C909 aircraft.
As China's first short-range turbofan airliner developed independently according to international standards and with proprietary intellectual property rights, the C909 aircraft (ARJ21) made its maiden flight on June 28, 2016.
Over the past decade, the C909 has been steadily developed into a large-scale, serialized, and industrial-scale aircraft. To date, C909 has been delivered to over ten users, with a total of 186 units delivered. This represents 70% of China's regional air fleet. The aircraft has carried more than 37 million passengers, operates over 860 routes, serves more than 180 cities, and flies over 500 flights per day on average. C909 has become the main model in China's regional air transportation market.
In recent years, C909 has been accelerating its international expansion efforts, successively opening up markets in Southeast Asia such as Indonesia, Laos, and Vietnam. As of now, it has launched a total of 25 routes overseas, serving 28 cities, with over 1 million passengers transported.
More overseas orders are also in process. In October last year, C909 obtained a flight certificate from the Brunei Civil Aviation Authority, covering five types of aircraft: passenger aircraft, cargo-modified passenger aircraft, business jets, medical aircraft, and emergency rescue command vehicles. Brunei Qiji Airlines immediately signed a letter of intent to purchase 15 C919s and 15 C909s, among several other models. In April this year, Vietnam's second-largest airline, VietJet Aviation, also plans to introduce 10 C909 regional aircraft.
