Liebherr-Aerospace and HAECO Landing Gear Services have completed what the companies describe as the world’s first major landing gear overhaul for the COMAC C909 regional jet, formerly known as the ARJ21 “Soaring Phoenix”. The final quality acceptance by both companies marks a milestone for localised maintenance support for regional commercial aircraft in China.

The C909 landing gear system was developed by Liebherr, with the overhaul programme combining Liebherr’s original equipment manufacturer (OEM) technical oversight with HAECO’s maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) capabilities.

Regional maintenance capability expands

According to the companies, the new maintenance capability is expected to support operators in China and Southeast Asia by improving maintenance access, fleet availability and operational support for the C909 regional jet fleet.

The companies stated that operators in markets including Indonesia, Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia are expected to benefit from the expanded MRO support infrastructure.

Liebherr and HAECO said the establishment of localised maintenance capability throughout the aircraft lifecycle provides a foundation for continued fleet growth and operational support for China’s domestically developed regional aircraft programme.

PROJECT DEVELOPED THROUGH 2025 AND 2026

The project began in 2025 with capability development and process optimisation activities before concluding in 2026 following joint acceptance testing and official delivery of the first completed overhaul.

Eric Thévenot, General Manager Aerospace Customer Service at Liebherr (China) Co., Ltd., said the cooperation represented a significant step for China’s civil aviation sector and helped establish a broader service ecosystem for regional aircraft support in the region.

The programme also forms part of wider efforts to establish long-term MRO infrastructure for the growing COMAC regional aircraft fleet.