China’s civil aviation authority announced a potential regulatory change that would allow its home-grown passenger jet, the C919, to use narrow runways typically found in smaller airports, reports the South China Morning Post. The move is aimed to help the plane expand its presence at home and break into the Southeast Asian market.
The Civil Aviation Administration of China announced that it had set “special conditions” for the C919 to use narrow runways based on the jet’s design features, releasing a draft proposal for a 10-working-day public comment period. The C919–made by the state-owned Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (Comac)–was originally designed to be used on runways at least 45 metres across, which are standard in major airports.
The newly proposed plan is set to reduce the minimum width to 30 metres to “meet market demands”, the regulator said. The reduction would enable the C919 to be used in most Chinese airports, helping it compete with similar models made by market leaders Boeing and Airbus. Narrower runways are used at some regional and general aviation airports in China.