COMAC, the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China, Ltd., is a Chinese civil aircraft manufacturer headquartered in Shanghai. Established on 11 May 2008, it coordinates the development, manufacture and support of commercial aircraft programmes, including regional jets and larger passenger airliners. Its responsibilities extend from engineering and flight testing to marketing and customer services.[1]
Formation and industrial role
COMAC was established as the principal organisation for China's large passenger aircraft programme, with responsibility for coordinating trunk and regional aircraft development. Its business encompasses more than airframe assembly: research, production, flight trials, sales and operational support form parts of the same organisation's remit. This arrangement places it at the centre of bringing a commercial aircraft from a development programme into airline operation, where continued technical support is required after delivery.[1]
Regional aircraft
The regional jet originally marketed as the ARJ21 received the additional commercial name C909 in November 2024. COMAC announced the change alongside a consistent naming scheme covering C909, C919 and the C929 development programme. The regional aircraft had obtained its Chinese type certificate on 30 December 2014 and its production certificate in July 2017. COMAC specifies a baseline cabin accommodating 78 to 97 passengers, making it the smaller aircraft in its commercial product range.[2][3]
C919 airliner
The larger C919 addresses the single-aisle airliner market, with the manufacturer's baseline seating range extending from 158 to 192 passengers. Its first aircraft rolled out in November 2015 and flew on 5 May 2017. Chinese type certification followed on 29 September 2022; the first delivery took place that December. The first commercial flight on 28 May 2023 marked the transition from development and certification into passenger service. These milestones gave COMAC experience with a substantially larger aircraft than its regional jet, including the production and support demands associated with airline deployment.[4]