Low-cost Vietnamese carrier Vietjet will return Chinese-made COMAC aircraft to service next week after a month-long hiatus, which temporarily stopped flights on certain routes, according to Reuters, which cited two sources familiar with the matter.
The suspension impacted Vietjet’s flights to the popular tourist spot of Con Dao, an archipelago of 16 islands in southeastern Vietnam, due to the temporary unavailability of Vietjet’s COMAC C909 jets used on these routes.
According to a company document reviewed by Reuters, flights to Con Dao are scheduled to restart on November 25, 2025, with four daily flights.
While the document did not specify the specific aircraft model, sources familiar with the situation confirmed to the publication that a six-month lease renewal with Chengdu Airlines will reactivate the COMAC C909 jets. The arrangement includes aircraft, pilots, and maintenance (MRO) support.
This new lease continues Vietjet’s earlier collaboration with Chengdu Airlines and ensures that the C909s can re-enter the airline’s domestic network.
Additionally, Vietjet is also looking into other COMAC leasing options, although these are still under regulatory review, the Reuters report continued.
The temporary suspension in October 2025 followed the expiration of the original six-month wet lease of two COMAC C909 regional jets from Chengdu Airlines, which had been operating with Vietjet since April 2025.
The lease was not renewed due to the expenses related to using foreign crews and maintenance services, rather than the C909’s performance.
Under the initial agreement, the two C909s, registered B-652G and B-656, operated with crews and maintenance from Chengdu Airlines, marking the first official entry of COMAC aircraft into the Vietnamese market.
The jets mainly served routes connecting Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, and Con Dao, shortly after Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to Vietnam in April 2025.
