Aviation

SWISS farewell to his last Avro RJ100

After more than 15 years in the service lines, Swiss International Air Lines (SWISS) today took leave of his last Avro RJ100. The ultimate representative of the fleet of 21 aircraft of this type took off this morning from Geneva to land a final officially at Zurich airport.

Immediately after landing on the Zurich tarmac, the plane carrying HB-Iyz registration was welcomed by a water fountain set up by the airport fire brigade and the frantic applause of many collaborators and fans of Aviation who attended the event. The special flight LX7545 code, also carrying journalists and employees of many other guests. “Check the latest landing Avro on our home airport was for me a very emotional event. The withdrawal of Avro aircraft type fleet SWISS puts an end to a whole part of the history of civil aviation in Switzerland “said the captain and chief Avro fleet Michael Weisser, who shared the controls for the ultimate flights from Geneva to Zurich with his replacement, Peter Huber captain.

The Avro RJ100 models and the slightly smaller version Avro RJ85 had made since the inception of the company in 2002 the backbone of the European fleet SWISS and have completed more than 700,000 hours of productive flight. During the same period, SWISS carried more than half a million flights with this aircraft produced by British AeroSpace (BAe). Because of their excellent maintenance and servicing, the now former SWISS devices are, despite their advanced age, aircraft benefiting from high demand and will therefore be implemented with other airlines.

Important fleet renewal

SWISS intends to continue the modernization of its fleet started in early 2016. By the end of 2018, SWISS will host in addition to its current ten Bombardier CSeries models 20 additional copies of this series to do the short and medium flights mail. The long-haul flights, however, will be provided by next spring, with two Boeing 777-300ER partially replacing the fleet of Airbus A340s. By the end of 2018, SWISS will thus have one of the youngest fleets in Europe.

Aviation

COMAC Unveils Plans for the C929 to Rival Airbus and Boeing

After the success of China’s first C919 aircraft, the country is setting its sights on developing a larger plane. COMAC (Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China) has officially confirmed plans to build a widebody aircraft, marking a significant step in its aircraft lineup.

Traditionally, Airbus and Boeing dominate the widebody aircraft market, with decades of expertise in developing planes and engines capable of carrying heavy payloads. China, which currently relies on imported engines, is now aiming to challenge these giants with its own widebody jet, the C929, designed to compete with the Airbus A350 and Boeing 777.

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The C929 will be China’s first independently developed long-range widebody aircraft. It adheres to international airworthiness standards and boasts independent intellectual property rights. The baseline version is designed to seat 280 passengers and offers a range of 12,000 kilometers, catering to global demand for both regional and international air travel.

Russia, which also needs reliable narrowbody and widebody aircraft, could become a key customer for the C929. Additionally, China plans to target the broader Asian market as it continues to expand its aviation capabilities.

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China’s aviation progress includes the ARJ21 (now called C909), a regional jet with 100 seats for shorter routes, and the C919, a narrowbody jet with 180 seats designed to rival the Boeing 737 MAX and Airbus A320. Both models have found increasing demand in the domestic market.

At China’s largest air show in Zhuhai, COMAC announced that Air China will be the launch customer for the C929 widebody jet, though details about order size and delivery timelines were not disclosed.

Other major deals announced by COMAC include:

Hainan Airlines: Firm orders for 60 C919 and 40 C909 regional jets.
Colorful Guizhou Airlines: 30 C909 jets, with 20 firm orders and 10 provisional agreements.

The C929, renamed from the CR929 after Russia withdrew from the joint development project in 2023, is expected to carry 280–400 passengers with a range of 12,000 kilometers, competing directly with Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner.

According to COMAC’s deputy general manager, Tong Yu, the first fuselage section of the C929 is expected by September 2027, with prototype test flights anticipated soon after.