ZHUHAI, China, Nov 12 (Reuters) - Chinese planemaker COMAC has rebranded its ARJ21 regional jet as the C909, aligning the plane with the state-owned firm's naming convention for its other models as it seeks to present itself as an alternative to dominant Western planemakers.

Hainan Airlines announced in a stock exchange filing on Nov. 11 that it had placed an order for 40 C909s, spending $38 million on each jet. The aircraft will be operated by subsidiary Urumqi Air, which is based in Xinjiang province in northwest China. A framework agreement for an order was announced in April 2023.

Comac has also officially renamed its ARJ21 regional jet programme to the C909, in line with the naming convention of its other two programmes the C919 and C929.

COMAC said on Tuesday that Air China was the first customer for the Chinese planemaker's C929 widebody aircraft under development that is designed to compete with twin-aisle models from Airbus and Boeing.