Indonesia Eyes China's COMAC C909 to Help Fight Forest Fires - Tempo.co English
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Indonesia’s Transportation Ministry is exploring the use of aircraft made by Chinese state-owned aircraft manufacturer Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China Ltd. (COMAC) to help fight forest and land fires in Indonesia.
“We are exploring the possibility of having COMAC’s C909 help put out forest fires currently affecting several parts of Indonesia,” Lukman F. Laisa, director general of civil aviation at the Transportation Ministry, told ANTARA in Beijing on Tuesday, September 22.
Lukman was in Beijing as part of an Indonesian government delegation attending the 2026 Global Sustainable Transport Forum (GSTF) and the 12th APEC Transportation Ministerial Meeting.
The ministry had previously held discussions with COMAC executives in Shanghai, Lukman said.
If the plan goes ahead, the C909 would use new COMAC technology designed to deliver firefighting material more precisely to targeted fire hotspots, using environmentally friendly materials.
The timing of the aircraft’s arrival has yet to be determined, as preparations would include logistics and flight permits. COMAC would cover the firefighting costs as part of its corporate social responsibility program, according to the ministry.
The COMAC C909 has been in operation since 2016 and can be configured with between 78 and 97 passenger seats. The aircraft has been leased and operated by international airlines, including Indonesia’s TransNusa and Vietnam’s VietJet, on regional routes.
According to the ministry, the aircraft can operate in a range of environments, including areas along China’s borders and overseas markets such as Southeast Asia and Africa. It is also suited to secondary hub airports.
COMAC is a Chinese state-owned aircraft manufacturer headquartered in Shanghai. Established on May 11, 2008, the company produces passenger aircraft, including large commercial planes.
Indonesia is already receiving international assistance to fight forest and land fires, with eight countries providing a total of 41 aircraft, according to the Transportation Ministry.
The countries are Australia with seven aircraft, the United States with 16, Russia with seven, Ukraine with four, New Zealand with one, Laos with one, Vietnam with three, and Canada with two.
Japan has also sent three CH-47 Chinook helicopters and about 180 personnel to strengthen aerial firefighting efforts in West Kalimantan.
The Indonesian government has deployed 53 aircraft to six priority provinces. Of these, 34 are assigned to water-bombing operations, while 19 are being used for aerial patrols and weather modification operations.
Indonesia’s forest and land fires affected 202,004.30 hectares from January to July 2026, according to the Forestry Ministry’s SiPongi fire monitoring system.
The fires have mainly affected Central Kalimantan, West Kalimantan, South Kalimantan, East Kalimantan, Riau, South Sumatra, and Lampung, including protected forests, conservation forests, national parks, and forest reserves.
More than 12.5 million people in the seven provinces have been exposed to smoke from the fires, while respiratory infections linked to the fires had reached 113,336 cases as of September 9, according to the report.
The haze has also affected neighboring parts of Southeast Asia. Kuching, Kuala Lumpur, and Singapore have frequently ranked among the world’s most polluted major cities over the past month as smoke from forest fires spread across the region.
