Vietnam to import Chinese aircraft for commercial use
VOV.VN - The Government has recently issued a decree, which allows the importation of various types of aircraft, including those from Brazil, Canada, Russia, the UK, and China.
Decree No. 89/2025 /ND-CP amends and supplements several provisions of the Government’s Decree No. 92/2016/ND-CP, which regulates conditional business sectors in civil aviation.
Notably, the new decree allows the importation of aircraft types into Vietnam that are certified by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) of the United States, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) as well as the aviation authority of Brazil, Canada, Russia and the UK, or those certified by the Ministry of Construction.
Vietnam has not yet officially imported aircraft produced by China for commercial domestic fleets. However, the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV) has taken necessary steps toward facilitating the future importation and operation of the aircraft models.
In January 2025, the CAAV sent a working delegation to Shanghai to survey the technical aspects, operation, maintenance, and design standards of the ARJ21-700 (C909) aircraft, manufactured by the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC). This is a short-to-medium range jet with a capacity of 78–95 passengers.
The CAAV has also proposed that the Ministry of Construction (MoC) amend certain regulations to help enable this process.
The MoC believed that restricting the importation of aircraft into Vietnam to those with a type certificate issued by the Vietnam Civil Aviation Authority, FAA, or EASA and not allowing certificates from other countries would limit airlines' opportunities to access aircraft designed and manufactured by countries with global scientific and technological capabilities.
It argued that amending this regulation would create favourable conditions for Vietnamese aviation enterprises to be proactive in sourcing and operating aircraft.
During a meeting with He Dongfeng, chairman of COMAC in Hanoi on April 14, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh requested COMAC’s cooperation in supporting the local aviation industry.
The PM praised the effective cooperation between COMAC and Vietjet Air in the past and highlighted the potential for expanding cooperation between COMAC, other airlines, and other Vietnamese partners in the future.
He also suggested that, in addition to cooperating on the purchase, lease, or lease-purchase of aircraft, COMAC should collaborate with partners to invest in aircraft maintenance, repair, and overhaul centres in Vietnam.
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