上海飞机设计研究院

What 上海飞机设计研究院 does

Shanghai Aircraft Design and Research Institute (上海飞机设计研究院, SADRI), commonly branded as 上飞院, is the designated design and R&D center of China Commercial Aircraft Co., Ltd. (COMAC, 中国商用飞机有限责任公司). Founded in 1970 and restructured under COMAC in 2008–2009, the institute is wholly state-owned under China's SASAC and headquartered at 5188 Jinke Road, Zhangjiang, Pudong, Shanghai. Its core mission is to design, develop, test, and certify China's indigenous commercial aircraft families, while supporting batch-production liaison engineering and after-sales technical services. The institute also operates a Shenyang branch (founded April 2019) for airframe design and hosts the National Key Laboratory for Large Aircraft Integration Technology and Simulated Flight, the 大飞机创新谷 (Commercial Aircraft Innovation Valley) open-innovation platform, a graduate training program co-run with the Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC), and a public-facing aviation science-education initiative.

SADRI's technology stack centers on civilian aircraft overall integration, complex airborne systems integration, flight simulation, structural strength analysis, avionics, and flight control systems. It has produced three independently IP-owned aircraft families: the C909 regional jet (78–97 seats, 2,225–3,700 km range, type-certified 2014-12-30, in commercial service since 2016); the C919 narrow-body trunkliner (158–192 seats, 4,075–5,555 km range, maiden flight 2017-05-05, type certificate 2022-09-29, first delivery 2022-12-09); and the C929 wide-body (282–440 seats), co-developed with Russia's United Aircraft Corporation via the 2017 China-Russia International Commercial Aircraft Co., Ltd. joint venture. The institute's C919 flight control law team received 央企楷模 recognition in 2022, and ARJ21 (C909 predecessor) won the 2019 National Science and Technology Progress Award (First Class).

The institute does not sell aircraft directly; rather, it functions as COMAC's captive R&D engine, funded through government allocations and parent-company program contracts tied to C909, C919, and C929 development milestones. Its go-to-market is therefore B2G/B2B by design: aircraft are procured by COMAC and ultimately by domestic carriers (China Eastern Airlines, Air China, China Southern Airlines, Chengdu Airlines, Tianjiao Airlines) and, beginning December 2022, by international customers such as Indonesia's TransNusa. Marketing and brand-building occur through airshow participation (Singapore, Zhuhai, Moscow), demonstration flights, and SASAC-coordinated announcements. Aircraft pricing is not publicly disclosed due to commercial sensitivity.

Name

上海飞机设计研究院

Legal name

上海飞机设计研究院

Website

https://sadri.comac.cc

Company type

Private

Founded year

1970

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Shanghai Aircraft Design and Research Institute (上海飞机设计研究院) is the state-owned design R&D center of COMAC, responsible for developing the C909, C919, and C929 commercial aircraft programs for Chinese and international airline customers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Commercial Aircraft Design

NAICS

Aircraft Manufacturing (336411), Aerospace Product and Parts Manufacturing (33641)

SIC

Aircraft (3721), Aircraft & Parts (3720)

akta.pro primary industry

Commercial Aircraft Manufacturing (Fixed-Wing) (IMABAAAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Fixed-Wing Aircraft Conversion & Modification (STC/Completions) (IMABAAAI)

Keywords

• Civil aircraft design
• Commercial aviation R&D
• Flight control systems
• Avionics engineering
• Aircraft certification

Headquarters

HQ city

Shanghai

HQ country

China

HQ region

Asia

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Infrastructure, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Aircraft Design and Development Services: The institute serves as the design R&D center for COMAC, responsible for aircraft design, development, testing, airworthiness certification, and key technology research. Revenue comes from government funding for civil aircraft programs and ultimately from aircraft sales to airlines.
2. Civil Aircraft Program Contracts: As a state-owned enterprise under COMAC, the institute receives funding for developing C909, C919, and C929 aircraft programs, with revenue tied to development milestones and eventual commercial production contracts.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

上海飞机设计研究院 is the design and R&D center of COMAC, responsible for the design, development, testing, airworthiness certification, and key technology research of China's three indigenous civil aircraft series: the C909 regional jet, the C919 large narrow-body passenger aircraft, and the C929 wide-body aircraft. It also operates the National Key Laboratory for Large Aircraft Integration Technology and Simulated Flight, provides engineering technical services and liaison engineering for production, and manages national major projects and key laboratory construction.

Product overview

上海飞机设计研究院是中国商用飞机有限责任公司的设计研发中心，负责我国拥有自主知识产权的三款民用飞机系列产品的设计研发：C909喷气式支线客机（78-97座，2225-3700公里）、C919大型客机（158-192座，4075-5555公里）和C929宽体客机（282-440座）。研究院同时运营大型客机集成技术与模拟飞行全国重点实验室、大飞机创新谷开放创新中心、教育培训中心等支撑性科研和服务平台，并设有与中国航空研究院合办的硕士研究生培养项目（640所）。

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• C919 Large Passenger Aircraft (C919大型客机) China's first domestically developed jet trunkliner with independent intellectual property, seating 158–192 passengers with a range of 4,075–5,555 km. Compliant with international airworthiness standards. Delivered to China Eastern Airlines, Air China, and China Southern Airlines.
• C909 Regional Jet (C909飞机) China's first mid-short range new turbofan regional passenger aircraft independently developed according to international civil aviation regulations, seating 78–97 passengers with a range of 2,225–3,700 km. Operates domestically and internationally including routes in Central Asia and Southeast Asia.
• C929 Wide-Body Aircraft (C929宽体客机) Wide-body passenger aircraft with a basic configuration of 282–440 seats, designed to broadly meet global international and regional air passenger market demands for intercontinental routes.
• National Key Laboratory for Large Aircraft Integration Technology and Simulated Flight (大型客机集成技术与模拟飞行全国重点实验室) National key laboratory established under COMAC with the institute as construction entity, focused on applied basic research in large aircraft overall integration, complex avionics system integration, and flight simulator technology. Publishes annual open research topics.

Quantifiable outcome

• C919 achieved 1 million passengers transported by December 2024
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• 大飞机创新谷 (Commercial Aircraft Innovation Valley)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 29 September 2019Innovation ecosystem established at Shanghai Aircraft Design Institute in September 2019. Selected as first batch of Pudong Large Enterprise Open Innovation Centers in July 2021. Promotes collaboration between the institute, universities, suppliers, and research institutions for civil aircraft technology innovation.
• 中俄国际商用飞机有限责任公司 (China-Russia International Commercial Aircraft Co., Ltd.)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 22 May 2017Joint venture established for the development of CR929 (now C929) wide-body aircraft. COMAC and Russian United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) joint investment for long-range wide-body commercial aircraft development. The joint venture coordinates design and development of the 282-440 seat C929 aircraft for international markets.
• 成都航空有限公司 (Chengdu Airlines)majorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorEquity joint venture of COMAC. First domestic customer for ARJ21/C909 aircraft. Received first ARJ21 in February 2019. Strategic customer supporting C909 market development and operations.
• AVIC - Aviation Industry Corporation of China (中国航空工业集团有限公司)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor shareholder of COMAC (9.97% stake). Parent company of predecessor organizations (formerly First Aircraft Design Institute). Continues to provide aircraft components, systems, and technical cooperation for COMAC aircraft programs including C919 and C909.
• 浦银金融租赁股份有限公司 (SPDB Financial Leasing Co., Ltd.)majorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCOMAC associate company providing aircraft leasing services. Supports airline customers in acquiring COMAC aircraft through financial leasing arrangements, facilitating market expansion for C909 and C919 aircraft.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Others

• Spirit AeroSystems: Tier-1 aerostructures supplier that produces fuselages, wing components, and pylons for Boeing and Airbus commercial aircraft. Spirit represents the upstream aerospace manufacturing ecosystem that the institute and AVIC/COMAC are building a domestic Chinese counterpart to.
• AVIC (Aviation Industry Corporation of China): Major shareholder of COMAC (9.97%) and the institute's historical predecessor organization. AVIC supplies major components/systems for C919 and C909 and is a strategic ecosystem partner; it is the closest domestic aerospace peer by capability scope.
• COMAC (China Commercial Aircraft Co., Ltd.): The institute's state-owned parent company and the integrator/producer of C909, C919, and C929. While not an independent design peer, COMAC's broader aircraft program and customer relationships shape the institute's commercial trajectory.

Direct peers

• Embraer: Brazilian commercial aircraft manufacturer whose E-Jet family (70-130 seats) directly competes with the institute's C909 regional jet. Embraer is the most relevant global peer in the regional jet segment and is pursuing similar emerging-market customer strategies.
• Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (Aerospace): Japanese industrial conglomerate that pursued the SpaceJet regional aircraft program (a C909 competitor) before discontinuing it. Mitsubishi represents a comparable large-industrial-complex attempt to enter commercial regional aviation, illustrating execution risks.
• De Havilland Canada: Canadian turboprop and regional aircraft manufacturer (Dash 8 family) targeting similar regional airline customers as C909, particularly in emerging markets. Comparable in scale and segment focus, though operating in the turboprop sub-segment.
• Irkut Corporation (Yakovlev): Russian aircraft manufacturer developing the MC-21 narrow-body, positioned as a competing indigenous alternative to Boeing/Airbus and a parallel national civil aircraft program. Irkut's challenges with sanctions and Western avionics supply mirror risks relevant to the institute's C919/C929.

Broad incumbents

• Boeing: One of the world's two dominant commercial aircraft OEMs, producing the 737 narrow-body (direct competitor to C919) and 787 wide-body (direct competitor to C929). Boeing competes with the institute in the same customer markets and is explicitly listed as an aviation link on the institute's website.
• Airbus: The other half of the commercial aircraft duopoly, producing the A320neo family (direct competitor to C919) and A330/A350 wide-bodies (competitors to C929). Airbus is listed as a partner/industry link on the institute's website and is the primary competitor being displaced in the Chinese domestic market.

Emerging players

• Sukhoi Civil Aircraft: Russian regional jet manufacturer (Superjet 100, ~100 seats) that overlaps with the C909 in the regional jet segment. Sukhoi's international commercialization challenges (post-2022 sanctions) illustrate the geopolitical risks facing single-source emerging-market OEM expansion.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/%E4%B8%8A%E6%B5%B7%E9%A3%9E%E6%9C%BA%E8%AE%BE%E8%AE%A1%E7%A0%94%E7%A9%B6%E9%99%A2

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about 上海飞机设计研究院