Photos show COMAC’s 19-seat CE-25A electric airliner demonstrator

Photos have emerged online of what appears to be a full-size demonstrator of the CE-25A, a 19-seat all-electric airliner being developed by Chinese state-owned aircraft maker COMAC.

The images, which began circulating on social media and Reddit in late October, show a red and black aircraft with a silver cheatline, COMAC and CE-25A markings and the Chinese civil registration B-0EFH, parked at an airfield. Chinese automotive blogger Han Lu was among the first to share them.

COMAC has not commented on the photos. Aviation outlets The War Zone and AeroTime say they could not verify them, although neither found clear signs they had been generated by AI. There is no public confirmation that this aircraft has flown.

Ten ducted fans

COMAC first showed the CE-25A as a model at the China International Import Expo in Shanghai in November 2023, describing it as an all-electric commuter for short and medium-distance passenger services and business aviation.

Its published design targets are 19 seats, a cruising speed of about 400km/h and a range of about 400 to 500km. Instead of two turboprops, it uses distributed electric propulsion: 10 electrically driven ducted fans built into the wing, which are visible in the new photos.

At the 2023 reveal, COMAC said the CE-25A had completed an experimental verification flight, which is thought to have involved a scaled-down demonstrator.

COMAC, which builds the C919 narrowbody airliner, has also worked with battery maker CATL and Shanghai Jiao Tong University on research into battery-powered aircraft, although any link to the CE-25A has not been confirmed.

Other 19-seaters

The 19-seat battery-electric commuter is a target several companies have aimed for. For comparison, the turboprop Beechcraft 1900, a common 19-seat regional aircraft, cruises at about 520km/h with a range of about 700km.

Sweden’s Heart Aerospace originally planned a 19-seat battery aircraft with about 400km of range, the ES-19, before moving to a larger hybrid-electric design. Its X1 demonstrator flew earlier this year.