State-owned Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (Comac), manufacturer of the C909 regional airliner and flagship narrowbody C919, recently infused RMB 634 million ($91.76 million) into C909 launch customer Chengdu Airlines, reports the South China Morning Post. Comac has a 48% controlling stake of the airline.
Combined with funding from other sources, the injection has nearly tripled Chengdu Airlines’ registered capital from RMB 680 million to RMB 2 billion, a move analysts viewed as laying the groundwork for more C909s to reach locales in Southeast Asia, Central Asia and Russia on commercial flights.
Chengdu Airlines put out notices in recent months recruiting partners for new international routes using the C909, including service to Vladivostok and Khabarovsk in Russia and Osh in Kyrgyzstan.