Lao Airlines Receives First Comac C909 Regional Jet

Dhaka: Lao Airlines has received its first C909 regional jet aircraft from the Chinese state-owned aerospace manufacturer Comac. This is the first of two C909 aircraft the airline expects to receive on a dry lease from China Aircraft Leasing Group (CALC).

The aircraft, registered RDPL-34229, was officially handed over to Lao Airlines at the Comac Delivery Center in China on March 30 and was later ferried to Wattay International Airport in Vientiane, Laos, on the next day.

RDPL-34229 is configured with 90 seats in an all-economy layout, and the other aircraft will also feature the same configuration. However, the airline didn't provide any information regarding the second C909's arrival.

Lao Airlines will deploy the type on domestic routes initially, starting on April 12, and gradually expand to international destinations in the future.

The Laotian flag carrier currently operates flights to 13 international and eight domestic destinations with an all narrow-body fleet of 13 aircraft, comprising four Airbus A320s, seven ATR 72s, and one Xi'an MA60.

With the arrival of the C909 aircraft, Laos has become the second country outside China to operate Chinese homegrown commercial aircraft. Previously, Indonesian carrier TransNusa took delivery of three C909 aircraft between 2022 and 2024 as the first international operator of the type.

China, with its state-owned manufacturer Comac, has been aiming to dominate as a major player in the commercial aviation industry. Thus, Comac regarded the delivery to Laos, which further expanded its international footprint, as a significant milestone.

The plane maker currently offers two narrow-body aircraft models, the C909 (previously branded as ARJ21) and C919, tailored for different market segments.

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