What Changed
- Civil aviation authorities from mainland China, Hong Kong SAR, and Macao SAR held the first joint C929 Type Certification Meeting in Shanghai.
- The meeting operationalises the Cooperation Arrangement on Type Certification of the C929 aircraft signed by all three authorities in April 2026.
- Hong Kong CAD shared international certification experience and established an action plan to deploy experts to the C929 certification working group.
Civil aviation regulators, manufacturers, legal professionals, and industry stakeholders operating across mainland China, Hong Kong SAR, and Macao SAR should take note of advancing joint airworthiness certification framework activities for China's wide-body C929 passenger aircraft. On October 21, 2026, the Director-General of Civil Aviation of Hong Kong SAR, Ms Clara Wong, led a Civil Aviation Department (CAD) delegation to Shanghai to attend the C929 Aircraft Type Certification Meeting hosted by the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC).
This event represents the first C929 Aircraft Type Certification Meeting jointly held by the CAAC, the CAD, and the Civil Aviation Authority of the Macao Special Administrative Region. The meeting serves to implement the Cooperation Arrangement on Type Certification of the C929 aircraft, which was formally signed by the three aviation authorities in April 2026. Unlike the C909 and C919 aircraft, which were primarily designed for short-haul routes, the C929 is China's first long-range, wide-body, twin-aisle passenger aircraft under development. It features a capacity of 290 seats and an operational range of 12,000 kilometres, rendering it suitable for transoceanic and long-haul intercontinental flight routes.
During the Shanghai meeting, CAD representatives shared technical experience regarding aircraft certification based on international practice, while setting out a subsequent action plan and cooperation arrangements to support the project's certification working group. CAD has participated in CAAC aircraft certification evaluations since 2007, previously contributing to the C909 and C919 projects. The authority stated that deploying personnel to leverage its airworthiness certification expertise in the C929 project will promote integration between Hong Kong's civil aviation sector and mainland China's national civil aviation developments, aligned with opportunities under the National 15th Five-Year Plan.
Who May Be Affected
Civil aviation regulators, airworthiness certification professionals, and aerospace sector entities in mainland China, Hong Kong SAR, and Macao SAR.
Cross-Border Context
Tri-regional regulatory coordination between mainland China (CAAC), Hong Kong SAR (CAD), and Macao SAR (AACM) to align airworthiness certification for China's wide-body C929 passenger aircraft with international practice.
What to check next
- Subsequent joint progress announcements or working group schedules released by CAAC, Hong Kong CAD, or Macao CAA regarding C929 airworthiness evaluation.
This article provides general information and does not constitute legal advice. Consult the official text and obtain advice appropriate to your circumstances where needed.