China’s COMAC C919 is rapidly emerging as a serious contender in the narrow-body jet market—traditionally dominated by Airbus and Boeing.
With supply chain disruptions and delivery delays plaguing both Western manufacturers, many Asian countries are now turning toward China’s homegrown alternative.
Just recently, Pakistan’s Air Karachi signaled interest in acquiring the C919. Now, Malaysia appears ready to join the growing list of countries considering the Chinese jet for their national and budget carriers.
Malaysia Steps Forward: National Interest Confirmed
According to Malaysian Transport Minister Anthony Loke, the government is exploring the possibility of introducing the COMAC C919 to its aviation sector. Two key Malaysian carriers—AirAsia (AK) and the soon-to-launch Air Borneo—are among the airlines showing interest in the aircraft.
Why the COMAC C919? A Timely Alternative
With Airbus and Boeing struggling to fulfill orders, COMAC’s timing couldn’t be better. The C919 is specifically designed to compete with the Airbus A320 and Boeing 737—two aircraft heavily used by low-cost and regional carriers in Asia.
Although the aircraft is currently only certified within China, COMAC is aggressively pursuing global certification, with EASA (European Union Aviation Safety Agency) approval being a top priority. Test flights and compliance audits are already underway, reinforcing COMAC’s ambitions to enter international markets.
COMAC’s order book is already impressive. Chinese giants like Air China and China Southern Airlines have each placed orders for 100 C919s. To meet rising demand, COMAC plans to deliver 30 aircraft in 2025, with a production target of 50 jets annually.This scaling up of production reflects the confidence within China and the growing interest from abroad.
Based on this background, 15th Annual China Aviation Industry Conference & 4th Aviation Industry Quality Infrastructure Construction Conference 2025 will be held in Anshun City, Guizhou Province on September 4th- 5th. This Conference will focus on the high-quality development of the aviation industry, layout the industry chain around the innovation chain, drive the incremental upgrading of demand with innovative technology, and guarantee the high-quality development of the large aircraft business by means of the latest national policies such as domestic production leadership, low-altitude economy, green development, digital transformation, artificial intelligence and high-quality development