Vietjet Resumes COMAC C909 Flights: Strategic Leap for China’s Aviation Push in SE Asia

Vietjet Resumes Use of COMAC C909 Jets

Mohd Hanif Ismail - : Nov 21, 2025 - : 9:34 am

Vietnam’s low-cost carrier Vietjet has announced the resumption of operations with Chinese-made COMAC C909 regional jets, marking a significant moment for China’s planemaker amid its push into the Asia-Pacific aviation market. After suspending the service for about a month, Vietjet...

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According to a report citing two anonymous insiders, Vietjet has struck a new six-month wet-lease deal with Chengdu Airlines. The arrangement provides not only the two C909 aircraft but also crew, maintenance and operational support — mirroring the airline’s previous arrangement.

This deal represents a relaunch after Vietjet had paused the COMAC service in October. The pause followed the expiration of an earlier six-month lease, which sources told Reuters ended due to high operational cost and regulatory constraints. The original Business Times article also notes that this arrangement had supported Vietjet’s key domestic route to Con Dao, an island with constrained airport infrastructure.

The article serves as the basis for the new lease announcement, emphasising not only the commercial but also the geopolitical significance of the move.

Strategic and Aerospace Background

The COMAC C909 (formerly known as the ARJ21-700) is a 78–90 seat regional jet that has been in commercial service since 2016. While the aircraft is certified by China’s aviation authority, it has limited Western regulatory recognition, posing a structural challenge to COMAC’s global ambitions.

In recent years, Vietjet’s deployment of the C909 has carried symbolic weight. The original introduction came shortly after Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to Hanoi in April 2025, reflecting stronger Sino-Vietnam ties and Beijing’s broader strategy to internationalise its aerospace footprint.

On a larger scale, COMAC is not just pushing the C909, but also its larger C919 narrow-body jet — a direct competitor to Airbus’s A320neo and Boeing’s 737 MAX. The company has made multiple efforts to penetrate Southeast Asia, viewed by industry analysts as a key testing ground for jets that remain outside the Western certification framework.

Asia-Pacific Implications & Aerospace Angle

From an aerospace and aerospace-industry perspective, Vietjet’s renewed use of COMAC aircraft illustrates a soft power strategy by China underpinned by economic diplomacy. By positioning the C909 in Southeast Asia — and notably in Vietnam — COMAC strengthens its influence and builds operational credibility beyond its domestic market. For industry stakeholders, this arrangement could be seen as part of a broader aerospace security pivot, where China leverages civil aviation to deepen ties and create interdependencies across Asia.

Moreover, the use of the C909 on Con Dao routes underscores the engine’s suitability for short-field operations. The 1,800 m (5,900 ft) runway at Con Dao airport limits the types of aircraft that can serve the route, and the C909’s performance characteristics make it especially suitable. In defence-civil synergy terms, such regional jets may also figure in dual-use scenarios (e.g., humanitarian airlift, disaster response), giving COMAC’s regional platform strategic utility.

For COMAC, the deal is also a reputational “proof point” in its bid to gain global market share. Alongside its efforts to secure European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and other regulatory approvals, successful operations in Vietnam could provide a case study for future expansion across the Asia-Pacific.

Risks and Challenges

Despite the resumption, challenges remain. Operational costs appear to be a key concern — previous sources indicated that the cost of foreign crew and maintenance was one of the reasons Vietjet did not immediately extend its lease. Regulatory hurdles also loom large: COMAC aircraft are not yet certified by many Western authorities, which limits their appeal to airlines outside China or sympathetic markets.

From a geopolitical risk angle, deeper aerospace integration with China may raise questions among regional and global observers, especially in the context of rising strategic competition in the Asia-Pacific.

Outlook

Vietjet’s renewed engagement with COMAC marks a calculated balancing act: leveraging cheaper—or at least alternative—capacity to support high-demand domestic routes, while also serving as a testbed for China’s regional market penetration in aviation. For COMAC, it reinforces its strategy to internationalise via markets where Western certification is not a mandatory barrier.

If successful, this wet-lease model could become a template for COMAC’s further expansion across Southeast Asia — not just through the C909 but potentially with its C919. As such, aerospace stakeholders will be watching closely: the deal straddles commercial aviation, strategic diplomacy, and long-term industrial competition.