China's COMAC signs deal for firefighting planes at Singapore Airshow

Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC) said on Tuesday that it has signed a deal for six of its C909 firefighting aircraft as the 2026 Singapore Airshow opens.

According to COMAC, the agreement with Shanxi Victory General Aviation includes three firm orders and three commitments of intent.

COMAC's C919 aircraft, a C909 medical aircraft and a C909 operated by Indonesia's TransNusa Aviation are on display at the airshow, which runs from Tuesday until Sunday, with the C919 set to perform a flight demonstration.

The C909 seats 78–97 passengers and has a range of 2,225–3,700 kilometers, with the ability to operate from short and narrow runways and in high-temperature and high-altitude conditions. The larger C919 seats 158–192 passengers and has a range of 4,075–5,555 kilometers.

According to the company, to date, more than 200 C909s and C919s have been delivered to buyers covering over 800 routes and carrying more than 36 million passengers.

Describing Southeast Asia as a key market, COMAC said the C909 is already in service in Indonesia, Laos and Vietnam. Nine C909 aircraft operated by TransNusa, Lao Airlines and VietJet Air have opened more than 20 routes and carried over 700,000 passengers.

The company is displaying a C909 medical aircraft in Southeast Asia for the first time. Converted from the basic model, it is equipped with ophthalmic diagnostic and treatment facilities and can be configured for medical rescue and casualty transport.

The C909 firefighting aircraft is designed for operations in varied terrain and has a water tank with a maximum payload of 10 tons, as well as seating for 19 personnel. It received airworthiness approval from the Civil Aviation Administration of China in December 2025.

Shanxi Victory General Aviation, founded in 2010, is a CAAC-approved general aviation company engaged in emergency rescue and forest firefighting.