COMAC Expands with Cambodia Order, Mongolia Route
Air Cambodia orders 20 COMAC C909 regional jets; Air China announces C919 Flights to Ulaanbaatar
COMAC in Cambodia
COMAC announced the signing of a firm purchase agreement with Air Cambodia for 20 C909 regional jets, representing the first bulk order for the Chinese-built aircraft from a foreign flag carrier.
The July 17 deal was accompanied by a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Cambodia’s State Secretariat of Civil Aviation (SSCA), covering broader cooperation in aviation safety, airworthiness certification, personnel training, civil aviation infrastructure, operational support, maintenance training, and technical assistance.
Both agreements were signed at COMAC’s headquarters in Shanghai during a high-profile ceremony that included a meeting between Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet and COMAC President Shen Bo.
While COMAC did not disclose the total value of the order, local media reports have specified that the first batch of C909s is slated for delivery in the second half of 2026.
The C909 is the rebranded designation for the ARJ21, a 78-to-97-seat regional jet with a range of 2,225 to 3,700 kilometers (approx. 1,382 to 2,299 miles).
C919 Heads to Mongolia
Separately, Air China has officially announced that it will deploy the COMAC C919 narrow-body jet on its first regular international commercial passenger route, operating a daily service between Beijing Capital International Airport and Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, starting August 12.
The route, slated to run until September 15, will be served by flight CA723 departing Beijing Capital International Airport Terminal 3 at 3:00 PM and arriving at Ulaanbaatar’s Chinggis Khaan International Airport at 5:15 PM local time.
The return flight CA724 departs Ulaanbaatar at 6:30 PM and lands in Beijing at 8:35 PM. The total flight duration is approximately 2 hours and 15 minutes.
Tickets are already on sale via Air China’s mobile app and other ticketing channels, with economy-class fares starting at 2,660 yuan and business-class fares at 3,230 yuan.
This marks the first time the Chinese-built C919 will be deployed on a regularly scheduled international passenger service open to public ticketing; the Shanghai–Hong Kong service fell under domestic regional operations.
In August 2017, the Civil Aviation Administration of China and the Civil Aviation Authority of Mongolia inked an MoU covering several areas of cooperation, including air traffic management, airport operations, and personnel training, while identifying airworthiness certification as a key priority.
The framework has since paved the way for commercial operations of Chinese-built aircraft in Mongolia.
Following type validation by Mongolia’s Civil Aviation Authority, the C909 regional jet entered scheduled international service on the Hohhot–Ulaanbaatar route on July 1, 2025, with Air China operating the inaugural flight.