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The Chinese-based aircraft manufacturer  (Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China) has announced the delivery of the first medical variant of its C909 twinjet. The aircraft has been handed over to the China Flying Dragon General Aviation Company (‘China Flying Dragon’) to operate various medical support missions.

The C909 is a low-wing twin-engine short-haul jet that was designed by COMAC and first flew in November 2008 as the ARJ21.

The aircraft was subsequently rebranded as the C909 in November 2024 at the Zhuhai Air Show to provide branding consistency with COMAC’s larger C919 narrowbodied aircraft.

Introducing the C909 medical rescue aircraft 

The first C909 medical rescue aircraft (registered as B-3328) was officially handed over to China Flying Dragon at Zhengzhou Xinzheng Airport (CGO) in Henan Province on 9 September to begin operations by the operator on specialist tasks that will include emergency rescue, long-range medical services, and critical care transportation.

The delivery marks “a significant step forward in the serialised development of homegrown commercial aircraft,” said COMAC in a statement.

The C909 medical variant is an air ambulance version of China’s C909 regional jet, developed by COMAC to enhance air medical services and patient transport capabilities. 

The variant features a modular cabin design that can be customised with functional zones for medical experts, support crews, and intensive care units.

The cabin layout of the aircraft can be flexibly modified according to different rescue needs, which can meet the requirements of various application scenarios, including transporting medical teams, providing remote-area assistance, and transferring patients. 

An adaptable cabin to suit various roles 

In particular, the modular Cabin can be reconfigured to meet specific needs, such as replacing the ICU (Intensive Care Unit) section with additional equipment for patients with less severe conditions.

In terms of functional zones, the cabin also typically contains dedicated areas for medical experts, support staff, and intensive care personnel.

This adaptability allows for flexibility in its configuration based on patient needs and mission requirements. Additionally, the aircraft has an additional fuel tank to extend its flight range for long-distance medical missions. 

Speaking to  in August, Chen Yong, chief designer of the C909 family of aircraft, said,

“The expert area is equipped with height-adjustable and foldable tables, allowing medical specialists to use computers and related equipment. The ICU zone accommodates two critical-care stretchers, each capable of being equipped with devices such as defibrillator monitors, ventilators, infusion pumps, and suction units, depending on the patients’ condition.”

Chen added that the seats in both the expert and support crew zones can be temporarily converted into six sets of double-tiered lightweight stretchers to accommodate increased capacity. He also noted that the air ambulance is equipped with an electric-powered lift system at the rear door, enabling the convenient loading and unloading of patients in a lying position.

According to COMAC, the C909 medical rescue aircraft has a maximum design payload of 10 tons (20,000lbs) and offers a standard range of up to 2,312 miles (3,700 km).

With its high tail and rear-mounted engines, the aircraft can operate in hot-and-high conditions and is capable of taking off and landing at high plateau airports, such as those found in mountainous regions of China.

Who is China Flying Dragon?

China Flying Dragon is the first general aviation company in the country approved by the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC). Its responsibilities include providing aerial support during major national events and emergencies.

According to a COMAC statement, China Flying Dragon is affiliated with the Zhongyu Aviation Group, whose businesses cover multiple fields such as aviation emergency rescue, police flights, geophysical surveying and mapping, and short-haul transportation.

As the first user of C909 medical rescue aircraft, the company “will rely on its rich emergency rescue experience and operation system to explore the establishment of a nationwide aviation medical rescue network and will expand air medical services to gradually form a development mode that is domestically based, has regional coverage, and extends to the international market,” added the COMAC statement.

Inauguration of the C9 Wings of Life Medical Alliance 

On the same day that the first C909 medical aircraft was delivered to China Flying Dragon, COMAC also announced the establishment of the C9 Wings of Life Aviation Medical Alliance.

The Alliance is jointly founded by COMAC alongside the Ruijin Hospital of Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine and the Zhongyu Aviation Group.

The first batch of alliance members includes over 40 units such as medical institutions, airlines, manufacturing enterprises, insurance companies, and public services.

COMAC explains that the Alliance aims to integrate industrial, medical, scientific research, and financial resources and build a multi-agent collaborative platform for fixed-wing aviation medical care to explore a replicable and sustainable aviation medical rescue mode.

This is to “achieve bi-directional drive of public welfare and marketisation and inject new impetus and shape new advantages into China’s aviation medical care.”

COMAC claims that the introduction of the C909 is expected to provide an additional option to enhance China’s aerial medical support system and contribute to the national public health and emergency response network

The planemaker says that in the future, the Alliance will explore sustainable models for air medical rescue operations and promote the application of C909 medical rescue aircraft.

This will include operations in the fields of aviation medical care, assist in improving the aviation medical rescue network, and facilitate the construction of a standardised, strongly coordinated, efficient, and sustainable aviation medical service ecosystem, to contribute to the development of the national public health and emergency support system. 

“The delivery of the C909 medical rescue aircraft will provide a new option for improving the domestic air medical support system and enhancing emergency response capabilities,” the COMAC statement concluded.

Air Cambodia joins the growing list of C909 operators 

In addition to the handing over of the first C909 medical aircraft to China Flying Dragon, COMAC has just announced that Air Cambodia will become the next commercial customer for the C909.   

Announced on 10 September, Air Cambodia said it could buy up to 20 of the jets, adding Cambodia to a growing list of Southeast Asian customers of the type. The orders come off the back of a recent sales drive by COMAC  to sell more C909s and C919s in the Asian marketplace.  

As reported by , the parties have signed a memorandum of understanding for 10 confirmed C909 orders, with the option to purchase 10 more.

According to data obtained from ch-aviation, there are currently 156 active C909s operating, with the leading operators being Air China, Chengdu Airlines, China Eastern, and China Southern with 33, 29, 35, and 29 units in service, respectively.

The aircraft type operates on 721 routes and has facilitated more than 25 million passenger trips to date. Internationally, C909 aircraft have been delivered to airlines in Indonesia, Laos, and Vietnam, serving routes across Southeast Asia.