Comac's C919, ARJ21 Arrive In Singapore For International Air Show Debuts

SINGAPORE—Comac’s C919 and ARJ21 landed in Singapore on a gloomy Thursday afternoon ahead of what will be the airliners' first appearances at an international air show.

The pair departed from Shanghai Pudong International Airport in the morning before making a technical stop in Sanya, Hainan. The C919 (reg. B-001F) then flew nonstop from Sanya to Singapore, landing at Changi Airport alongside commercial traffic. The ARJ21 (reg. B-3322) followed closely behind, flown under Comac's commercial entity Comac Express.

Singapore Airshow is set to host the largest Chinese presence at an international air show post-COVID. The 2020 edition of the event saw the bulk of Chinese exhibitors pull out in the early stages of the pandemic. Then in 2022 there was no Chinese presence due to strict travel restrictions between China and Singapore.

The C919 will be participating in the flying display, one of only two solo displays at the show; the other being the Airbus A350-1000.

The C919 made its first venture outside mainland China in mid-December 2023 visiting Hong Kong. The Singapore sojourn marks the first time the aircraft flew over international airspace across at least two air navigation service providers.

Although the ARJ21 is currently operational in neighboring Indonesia with Chinese-backed TransNusa Airlines, the aircraft type has never made it to an international show before now.

With no Boeing commercial aircraft participating at Singapore Airshow, Airbus, Comac and Embraer are set to take centerstage on the civil side at the biennale.