The Chinese regional aircraft C909, produced by the domestic company COMAC (Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China), completed its first international flight from China on July 1, 2025—nearly nine years after it began commercial operations within the country. The flight connected Hohhot in China with the Mongolian capital Ulaanbaatar, marking the start of a new phase in the international expansion of this aircraft model.
The aircraft, registered as B-605U and operated by Air China, departed Hohhot Baita Airport at 08:07 and landed at Chinggis Khan International Airport at 10:10 local time, carrying 74 passengers. The aircraft’s arrival in Mongolia was marked by a traditional water cannon salute, symbolizing a new chapter for Chinese aviation, according to the Simple Flying portal.
The C909, formerly known as the ARJ21, entered commercial service in 2016 with Chengdu Airlines. After years of domestic operational experience—including flights on challenging routes in Xinjiang, Inner Mongolia, and northeastern China—the aircraft is now entering the international market with ambitions for further expansion.
To date, a total of 166 C909 units have been delivered, having carried more than 24 million passengers on over 700 routes. In Xinjiang alone, over 1.3 million passengers traveled on more than 120 routes between June 2023 and mid-2025, according to COMAC. As of June 2025, the C909 operates four daily flights between Kashgar and Yining, supporting tourism in the region.
The aircraft can accommodate up to 97 passengers. The specific model that completed the first international flight was configured with 90 economy-class seats in a 2-3 layout. It was manufactured in June 2020 and delivered to Air China later that year.
The C909 currently represents a significant part of China’s regional fleet. According to ch-aviation data, 149 units are in active service, while 16 are out of operation, including those owned by COMAC itself. Another 380 units are awaiting delivery. The largest operator is Air China with 35 aircraft, followed by Chengdu Airlines with 30 and China Eastern with 27. Other users include China Southern, Shantou Airlines, China Express, Genghis Khan Airlines, Jiangxi Airlines, and TransNusa.
Although this marks the C909’s first international route out of China, it has previously operated in Southeast Asia. In April 2023, the aircraft flew in Indonesia and later on its longest route between Manado and Guangzhou. It is also reported that two units are used in Vietnam via leasing from Chengdu Airlines, although ch-aviation’s database does not yet list them.
Meanwhile, COMAC’s larger model, the C919, entered commercial service just over two years ago and had carried one million passengers by the end of 2024. The first international flight of the C919 occurred in January 2025 on the route between Shanghai and Hong Kong. China hopes the aircraft will eventually receive EU certification, although, as Simple Flying notes, this remains unlikely for now—partly due to its reliance on Western CFM LEAP-1C engines and ongoing trade tensions between the U.S. and China. Nevertheless, Beijing is developing its own engine to reduce dependence on foreign suppliers in the future.
According to COMAC’s chief designer and engineer, Chen Yong, the C909 represents a major breakthrough in the commercial use of domestically produced jet aircraft and lays the foundation for the development of the full life cycle of Chinese aviation projects.
