Vietnamese budget carrier Vietjet will resume operations with Chinese-made COMAC C909 regional aircraft on November 25, 2025, after a one-month suspension, having signed a renewed six-month wet lease agreement with China's Chengdu Airlines that includes provision of two 90-seat aircraft, pilots, maintenance, and operational support, according to sources speaking to Reuters.
The airline had suspended Con Dao Island flights in mid-October when its initial six-month lease expired, citing high costs associated with foreign crew, maintenance support, and regulatory restrictions, with the two C909s registered B-656E and B-652G ferried back to Chengdu on October 21 despite reports that operations ran smoothly and the aircraft performed well during their April-to-October deployment.
Services will restart with four daily round-trip flights connecting Ha Noi and Ho Chi Minh City to Con Dao Island, a route requiring short-field capability unavailable across Vietjet's Airbus narrowbody fleet, with the airline reportedly exploring additional COMAC leasing options subject to regulatory approval, according to internal company documents and industry sources.
The resumption represents a potentially significant development for the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC), which has struggled to secure orders from major international airlines despite the 90-seat C909 entering commercial service in 2016 and currently operating in China, Indonesia, Laos, with additional orders from Cambodia and Brunei.
The renewed agreement follows what observers viewed as diplomatic timing when the initial lease commenced in April 2025 shortly after Chinese President Xi Jinping's state visit to Ha Noi, aimed at strengthening economic and strategic ties, while helping restore needed capacity to Con Dao Island after services declined following Bamboo Airways' collapse in late 2023, with Vietnam Airlines currently operating the route using ATR-72 aircraft through its VASCO subsidiary.
