Chinese airplane maker COMAC and Tibet Airlines have signed a cooperation agreement to jointly develop the shorter version of the C919, various Chinese media reported on Sunday. While still in the early stages, the agreement confirms that COMAC is serious about growing the C919 family.
As reported on AirInsight a few weeks ago, COMAC presented two new versions of the C919 on two different occasions. One is a stretch, the other the shorter model. The latter one is also referred to as the C919 Plateau, as its shorter fuselage with 140 seats in combination with the CFM LEAP-1C engines makes it a powerful aircraft to operate in airports at high altitudes or plateaus.
Active as a journalist since 1987, with a background in newspapers, magazines, and a regional news station, Richard has been covering commercial aviation on a freelance basis since late 2016.
Richard is contributing to AirInsight since December 2018. He also writes for Airliner World, Aviation News, Piloot & Vliegtuig, and Luchtvaartnieuws Magazine. Twitter: @rschuur_aero.