Brunei Accepts Chinese Aviation Standards, Opening a Route for COMAC's C919

A new opening for Chinese aircraft in Southeast Asia

Brunei has officially accepted China's civil aviation certification standards, giving Chinese aircraft, including the COMAC C919, a clearer route toward registration and operation in the sultanate. The decision adds China to the European, United States and Canadian airworthiness systems that Brunei already recognized.

As of November 2, 2025, the change opens the first regulatory stage for prospective operators. Brunei still needs to validate the C919 for local use, and an airline must secure the necessary operating approvals before carrying passengers. Recognizing a country's safety rulebook and approving a particular aircraft are separate steps.

The decision follows a reported $2 billion order announced in 2023 by GallopAir, a startup based in Brunei, for 30 COMAC aircraft. The package includes the C919 and the smaller ARJ21 regional jet, referred to as the C909 in some recent reports. GallopAir has described the agreement as COMAC's biggest international sale to date and indicated that it was likely the first overseas purchase of the C919.

COMAC, China's state owned aircraft manufacturer, is seeking to establish the C919 as a third choice alongside the Airbus A320 and Boeing 737 families. Airlines across Asia are planning fleet replacement and expansion while delivery positions for popular Western aircraft remain scarce.

Brunei offers a small market, with a population of about 462,000 and no domestic air travel. Its influence in aviation diplomacy within the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN, gives the decision wider regional relevance. Other Southeast Asian regulators may consider similar recognition as Chinese aircraft attract interest from airlines.

How the approval process works

Civil aviation certification begins with an airworthiness code, the technical rulebook setting out the design and safety requirements an aircraft must meet. The Civil Aviation Administration of China, or CAAC, publishes China's codes. The European Union Aviation Safety Agency, or EASA, and the United States Federal Aviation Administration, or FAA, have their own systems.

A manufacturer then seeks a type certificate from its home regulator. The regulator examines whether the aircraft design meets the applicable code. The C919 already holds a CAAC type certificate allowing its operation in China.

A foreign regulator undertakes another stage, called validation, when it considers allowing local airlines to operate the aircraft. This work can also involve recognition of maintenance arrangements and pilot training standards for the aircraft type.

Brunei's acceptance of the CAAC code gives its authorities an accepted set of requirements against which to assess Chinese aircraft. COMAC would still need to present documentation, test results and evidence that the C919 meets local requirements. The aircraft would also need inclusion in the relevant airline's operating approvals.

International services require route permissions as well. Scheduled flights and charters depend on bilateral air services agreements, arrangements between two countries governing flights between them. These often address confidence in each country's aviation oversight and the airworthiness of the aircraft involved.

Brunei can now move more directly through the technical assessment when an airline applies to operate the C919. Destination countries retain their own decisions about accepting the aircraft and its operator. For a carrier planning a network across several countries, those decisions become part of the timetable for launching routes.

Why European and American approval is a separate matter

EASA and FAA validation would follow separate processes. Many aviation authorities have established working relationships with European or American regulators, including mutual recognition arrangements in some areas. Those relationships help explain why Airbus and Boeing aircraft fit readily into existing approval systems.

Without EASA or FAA validation, the C919 cannot be operated by airlines in those markets. Flights into those regions would require special arrangements. In Southeast Asia, the immediate issue is each national regulator's willingness to accept CAAC standards and the ability of an airline to support the aircraft.

Local acceptance involves more than evaluating an aircraft design. Authorities and airlines must address pilot training, maintenance, spare parts and software updates. Each destination country must also be satisfied with the aircraft's safety and the standard of oversight under the International Civil Aviation Organization framework.

Southeast Asian authorities already have some experience with aircraft certified by CAAC through the ARJ21's introduction to the region. Regulators elsewhere may take longer to commit resources to validation until an airline presents a firm commercial reason for doing so.

What the C919 offers airlines

The C919 is a narrow body passenger aircraft, the category used for many short and medium distance journeys. It targets the same workhorse market as the A320 and 737 families, connecting major hubs with regional and secondary cities.

Southeast Asia's busy links between cities and growing passenger demand make this aircraft category important to regional carriers. Airlines can choose different seating arrangements depending on whether a route carries substantial business traffic or requires more seats for leisure passengers.

• Typical seating is roughly 158 to 192 passengers, depending on the cabin layout.
• The advertised range runs from the middle of the 4,000 kilometre band to the middle of the 5,000 kilometre band, depending on the variant.
• CFM International supplies the LEAP 1C engines. CFM is a joint venture between GE Aerospace and Safran.
• The cockpit has large displays and fly by wire controls, which transmit pilot commands electronically.
• The aircraft aims to deliver operating economics comparable with current A320 and 737 models.

COMAC's flight deck design is intended to help pilots move across from comparable aircraft. Seating and range choices give operators flexibility when assigning aircraft to routes with different passenger demand.

Airlines will judge the C919 by its ability to depart reliably, its maintenance needs, the availability of trained pilots and its cost throughout its working life. Operational experience outside China remains limited because the aircraft is relatively new in commercial service.

Early customers may receive pricing and support packages to help balance the risks of introducing a new aircraft type. COMAC's ability to keep aircraft flying frequently and supply replacement parts promptly will matter in markets where purchase cost and delivery timing carry considerable weight.

GallopAir's plan for Brunei and China

GallopAir's 2023 announcement covered 30 COMAC aircraft, including C919s and several ARJ21 regional jets. The startup has outlined a plan spanning seven years to connect four Southeast Asian countries with cities in China.

The proposed network would concentrate on direct routes between cities. Smaller regional jets could serve links with fewer passengers, while C919s could carry larger numbers on busier routes. Operating both sizes would allow the airline to match aircraft capacity more closely to demand.

Royal Brunei Airlines already links the sultanate with regional capitals and destinations farther away using Airbus and Boeing aircraft. A second airline using Chinese aircraft would broaden Brunei's choices of aircraft suppliers and could bring additional routes.

GallopAir's ambitions depend on financing, recruitment and regulatory approval progressing together. Aircraft orders are one part of building an airline; crews, maintenance teams and operating permissions also need to be ready when services begin. No date for C919 commercial service in Brunei was given.

The main milestones described in the aircraft's regional development are:

• 2023: GallopAir announced plans to acquire 30 COMAC aircraft in a reported deal worth $2 billion.
• 2023: The C919 entered commercial service in China with China Eastern Airlines.
• By November 2, 2025: Brunei had accepted China's civil aviation certification standards, creating a clearer basis for assessing Chinese aircraft for local operation.

AirAsia interest puts attention on daily performance

AirAsia Group chief executive Tony Fernandes has said the airline group has discussed potential orders with COMAC. Interest from a major regional carrier, alongside Brunei's acceptance of Chinese standards, gives the C919 a place in more airlines' fleet discussions.

Carriers built around low fares often operate aircraft repeatedly throughout the day on short routes. This pattern places heavy demands on reliability, maintenance planning and the time needed between arrival and the next departure. An aircraft that spends longer waiting for repairs can disrupt several services in a single day.

For these operators, the C919's appeal would depend on consistent daily use, competitive fuel consumption and dependable support. Airlines may also value having more than two major manufacturers to choose from when negotiating future purchases.

Indonesia, Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand are rebuilding capacity and developing new links between cities. Their growth creates opportunities for suppliers able to provide suitable aircraft and support them across a dispersed regional network.

The ARJ21 has already flown outside China with an Indonesian operator. That experience gives airlines and regulators a practical starting point for training, maintenance approvals and routine operation in tropical conditions, including schedules that keep aircraft flying frequently.

Delivery queues and the cost of adding a new fleet

Airbus and Boeing have substantial order backlogs for their A320neo and 737 MAX families. New delivery positions can be many years away, making timing a major consideration for airlines planning fleet changes in the late 2020s.

COMAC could win customers by offering earlier deliveries, particularly among carriers seeking aircraft to meet growth following the pandemic. Southeast Asian orders could develop before the C919 secures broader Western validation, depending on national approvals and the needs of individual airlines.

Purchase price is only one part of the calculation. Airlines and aircraft leasing companies also assess support costs and residual value, meaning the amount an aircraft might be worth when it is sold or leased again later in its life. A cheaper purchase can lose its advantage if maintenance is costly or resale demand is weak.

Southeast Asia's maintenance and supply networks are deeply established around Airbus and Boeing fleets. Adding a new aircraft type requires different tools, software and supplier relationships. Airlines also need maintenance instructions that meet local requirements, pilots with qualifications for the type and access to simulators.

COMAC and its partners would be expected to develop spare parts depots, maintenance capability at important airports, and training for engineers and technicians. These arrangements take time to mature. They will influence how quickly an airline can restore an aircraft to service when a component needs replacement.

Western engines create an international supply chain

The C919 combines Chinese aircraft development with components from an international supplier network. Its LEAP 1C engines come from CFM International, while European and American companies supply many avionics, flight control systems, brakes and cabin components.

Using established technologies helped COMAC advance toward certification. It also leaves production and maintenance exposed to export controls, licensing reviews and trade tensions that can affect aircraft deliveries or the supply of parts.

Debates over tariffs and technology restrictions have already affected parts of the aerospace supply chain. Airlines have to consider the practical effects: how quickly an engine can be replaced, whether a software update can be delivered remotely and how long a component will spend undergoing repair.

COMAC is working on a domestic engine programme commonly referred to as the CJ 1000A to reduce dependence on foreign suppliers over time. That development is continuing alongside production of early C919s using the LEAP 1C.

Prospective customers need reliable support for the engine actually installed on their aircraft throughout its service life. The future development of another engine runs alongside that immediate requirement for parts, repairs and maintenance capacity.

Safety and passenger confidence depend on routine operations

China Eastern Airlines began commercial C919 services in 2023, providing COMAC with experience from regular passenger operations. Reliability and the time needed to prepare aircraft for their next flight in China will inform the decisions of prospective Southeast Asian operators.

Regulators set safety standards, while manufacturers and airlines put them into practice through certification, training and maintenance. Before introducing the C919, airlines will examine simulator access, the time pilots need to qualify on the aircraft and the number of service bulletins issued during its early years. Service bulletins provide manufacturers' instructions or advice about inspection, maintenance and changes to aircraft.

Passengers will experience the airline's choices as well as the aircraft's design. Seat layout, cabin noise and onboard amenities influence the journey, with many cabin decisions made by the carrier rather than the manufacturer.

Reliable schedules and a familiar cabin experience can help passengers regard the C919 much like other modern jets. Confidence develops through flights operating without incident and through the experience gained by crews and maintenance teams.

A third manufacturer faces a long regional test

Airbus and Boeing are expected to dominate worldwide narrow body deliveries for years because of their large existing fleets and extensive order books. Brunei's decision gives COMAC an opening in a region where both Western manufacturers have sold hundreds of aircraft.

A credible third supplier could strengthen airlines' bargaining position on prices, support packages and delivery schedules. Governments would also have more choices in their aviation partnerships. Those benefits depend on COMAC delivering aircraft that meet operators' commercial and operational needs.

Early overseas customers are most likely to include carriers linked to governments, startups and airlines that value close ties with China or access to aircraft sooner. Strong reliability and favourable operating costs among those customers could encourage wider acceptance.

Brunei has taken a regulatory step that makes Chinese aircraft easier to assess within its aviation system. GallopAir's order provides a prospective commercial use, while AirAsia's discussions show interest beyond the sultanate. COMAC's ability to expand training, spare parts and repairs across several countries will determine the pace of that regional growth.

The Bottom Line

• Brunei has added China's aviation certification standards to the European, United States and Canadian systems it already recognized.
• The C919 still needs validation for Brunei operation, and airlines need operating approvals, qualified crews and maintenance arrangements.
• GallopAir announced a reported $2 billion order for 30 COMAC aircraft in 2023, including C919 and ARJ21 jets.
• GallopAir has outlined a plan spanning seven years to connect four Southeast Asian countries with Chinese cities.
• AirAsia Group chief executive Tony Fernandes has said the group has discussed potential orders with COMAC.
• The C919 seats roughly 158 to 192 passengers and targets routes served by the Airbus A320 and Boeing 737 families.
• Western suppliers provide major C919 systems, including its LEAP 1C engines, creating exposure to trade and licensing decisions.
• Earlier delivery opportunities could attract customers, while dependable training, parts and repairs will shape lasting acceptance.