China’s domestically developed C909 passenger jet has expanded its regional presence, with two of them beginning commercial operations with Vietnam’s budget airline VietJet on Saturday.

Their debut makes Vietnam the third Southeast Asian country to sign on the planes made by the state-owned Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (Comac), after Indonesia and Laos.

According to a statement from Comac on Saturday, the civilian jets have been leased from Chinese regional carrier Chengdu Airlines, and will operate on domestic routes between Vietnamese capital Hanoi and Con Dao Island off southern Vietnam, and between Con Dao Island and business hub Ho Chi Minh City.

News of the VietJet lease came days after Vietnamese regulatory reforms allowing airlines to import aircraft certified by Brazil, Canada, Russia, Britain and China. The government decree, which took effect on April 13, expands a previous policy that restricted imports to aircraft certified by Vietnam, the United States or the European Union.

Comac, which aims to advance China’s goal of technological self-sufficiency, is seen as a potential challenger to the Airbus-Boeing duopoly in the global market. Comac’s narrowbody C919 passenger jet – viewed as a direct competitor to the single-aisle Boeing 737 and Airbus A320 families – is rapidly expanding production and commercial operations, while the widebody C929 is reportedly in the detailed design stage.

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