The Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC) has announced the delivery of the first C909 aircraft to Lao Airlines on March 30, 2025.
This marks the first time a China-made passenger jet has entered the Lao market, marking a new step in the international development of China’s commercial aircraft, COMAC declared on March 31, 2025.
The aircraft, registered as RDPL-34229, is a turbofan regional jet independently developed by China. It has been leased to Lao Airlines and will begin operations after completing necessary preparations in Laos.
The aircraft features a 90-seat all-economy class layout. Its interior and exterior identifications and placards are in Laotian, the exterior paint is custom-designed, and the tail is printed with a Champa flower, which is the national flower of Laos and the airline’s logo. It has a range of up to 3,700 kilometers (2,300 miles), making it suitable for most domestic routes in Laos plus nearby international destinations.
Lao Airlines / Facebook.com “Initially, this aircraft will serve our domestic routes, with plans for future expansion into international markets,” Lao Airlines said in a statement.
The Civil Aviation Authority of Laos issued an Aircraft Type Acceptance Certificate (ATC) for the C909 aircraft to COMAC on March 18, 2025.
COMAC said that it has set up a special team to assist Lao Airlines with preparatory tasks, including manual preparation, personnel training, aviation material support, and maintenance capacity building.
COMAC added that it has also dispatched a support team of professionals from the flight, cabin crew, operation control, maintenance and other areas to fully ensure the safe and efficient operation of the C909 aircraft in Laos.
Lao Airlines is currently expanding its capacity and renewing its fleet. Leasing the C909 aircraft will enable the airline “supplement its capacity and upgrade its fleet to meet the growing development needs of the air travel market in Laos,” the COMAC statement concluded.
The C909 aircraft is expected to be ferried to Wattay International Airport (VTE) in Laos’ capital city, Vientiane, on March 31, 2025.
So far, 162 C909 aircraft have been delivered, serving 645 routes across 158 cities and transporting over 20 million passengers.
