A Growing Force: Which Airlines Fly the COMAC C909 in 2026?

The COMAC C909 — better known for most of its life as the ARJ21-700 — has quietly become one of the most interesting regional jets in global aviation. While it remains far from challenging Embraer or Airbus in sheer numbers, the aircraft’s presence is steadily growing, particularly across China and parts of Asia.

Renamed C909 as part of COMAC’s new naming system (aligning it with the larger C919 and future widebodies), the aircraft represents China’s first successful, mass-produced commercial jetliner. As we move into 2026, the C909 is no longer a niche prototype curiosity — it’s an operational aircraft flown by multiple airlines, with new operators joining even as others step away.

Here’s a look at which airlines are flying the COMAC C909 in 2026, how they’re using it, and where the type stands today.

Chengdu Airlines

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The launch customer and largest operator

Chengdu Airlines remains by far the largest and most important operator of the C909. As the launch customer, the airline has been central to the aircraft’s development, certification, and operational maturity.

By 2026, Chengdu Airlines operates more than 20 C909s, using them extensively on:

• Domestic Chinese regional routes
• Services linking secondary cities to Chengdu
• High-frequency, short-haul sectors where capacity is lower than a narrowbody

For spotters within China, Chengdu Airlines C909s are the easiest to find and represent the aircraft in its most established role: a domestic regional workhorse.

China Southern Airlines

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A cautious but growing commitment

China Southern has gradually expanded its C909 fleet, integrating the aircraft into its enormous domestic network. The airline uses the type primarily to:

• Serve thinner regional routes
• Connect secondary cities to major hubs like Guangzhou
• Replace older regional jets and turboprops

China Southern’s fleet stands at around 10 aircraft in 2026, and while the airline continues to operate large numbers of Airbus and Boeing narrowbodies, the C909 fills a useful niche at the lower end of capacity.

China Eastern Airlines & OTT Airlines

Regional connectivity within a vast network

China Eastern also operates a modest but growing C909 fleet, typically deploying the aircraft from secondary bases rather than its main Shanghai hubs. It originally placed these aircraft with its subsidiary, OTT Airlines, but they have now transferred back.

The airline uses the type on:

• Short-haul domestic routes
• Lower-demand city pairs
• Services feeding traffic into its wider network

With fewer than 10 aircraft in service, China Eastern’s operation is smaller than Chengdu or China Southern’s, but still significant for COMAC’s goal of broader domestic adoption.

Air China

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Flag carrier participation

China’s flag carrier Air China operates the C909 in limited numbers, mainly on regional routes where larger narrowbodies would be inefficient.

Air China’s involvement carries symbolic weight: while the airline is not a major operator of the type, its participation reinforces the aircraft’s credibility within China’s state-backed aviation ecosystem. The fleet remains small, but stable.

Genghis Khan Airlines

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A regional specialist

Based in Inner Mongolia, Genghis Khan Airlines has embraced the C909 as a core part of its regional fleet. The aircraft suits the airline’s mission well, flying:

• Short-haul routes across northern China
• Services linking smaller cities with Hohhot and other regional centres

With a handful of aircraft in service, Genghis Khan Airlines represents the type of operator COMAC is keen to attract: regional carriers with specific operational needs.

TransNusa (Indonesia)

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The first overseas operator

Indonesia’s TransNusa became the first non-Chinese airline to operate the C909, marking a milestone for COMAC’s international ambitions.

By 2026, TransNusa operates several C909s, using them on:

• Domestic Indonesian routes
• Short international services within Southeast Asia

The aircraft’s performance on hot-and-high airports and shorter runways has been a key selling point, though operations remain closely watched by the wider industry as a test case for export success.

Lao Airlines

A new international customer

Lao Airlines joined the C909 operator list more recently, taking delivery of the type to support regional connectivity from Laos.

The aircraft is well suited to:

• Short-haul regional routes
• Lower-density services where turboprops lack speed but narrowbodies are too large

While fleet numbers remain very small, Lao Airlines represents an important symbolic step: a state airline outside China committing to the C909 as part of its future fleet.

Jianxi Air

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Small domestic carrier in China

Jianxi Air operates 5 Comac C909s, and has another 30 on order. The airline has a small domestic network in China, with a base at Nanchang Changbei International Airport.

The aircraft is well suited to:

• Short-haul regional routes

Other Operators of the C909

Other carriers that have fleets of Comac C909 (or have the type on order) include:

• China Express Airlines
• YTO Cargo Airlines
• Urumqi Air (on order)
• Shandong Airlines (on order)
• Shanghai Airlines (on order)
• Hainan Airlines (on order)
• Colorful Guizhou Airlines (on order)
• GallopAir (on order)
• Air Cambodia (on order)

Where the C909 Stands in 2026

COMAC

By 2026, the COMAC C909 is:

• Firmly established in China
• Slowly expanding internationally
• Still proving itself outside its home market

It is not yet a global challenger to the Embraer E-Jet family or Airbus A220, but it no longer feels experimental. For spotters, the C909 is becoming a legitimate aircraft to log, particularly across China and parts of Southeast Asia.

With new deliveries continuing and more airlines evaluating the type, the C909’s story is still being written — and for aviation enthusiasts, that makes it one of the most intriguing regional jets to watch in the years ahead.