China makes first overseas delivery of homemade ARJ21 jetliner

At a handover ceremony held in Shanghai, the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) issued the export airworthiness certificate to the state-owned Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (Comac), the manufacturer of the jetliner. Later, Comac handed over the commemorative keys to Indonesia's TransNusa, marking the official delivery of the aircraft.

The ARJ21 aircraft has successfully handled more than 5.6 million passenger trips so far across an operation network that includes 300 routes between 100 cities.

The ARJ21, the country's first turbofan regional jet, started development in 2002, made its maiden flight in Shanghai in 2009 and went into commercial service with Chengdu Airlines in June 2016.

By July 2022, a total of 68 ARJ21 aircraft had been delivered to nine operators including Air China, China Southern and Chengdu Airlines.

"This is the first time for a Chinese regional jet to enter the overseas market, which is of great historical significance for constructing the country's new development paradigm based on the Belt and Road Initiative, and also important to the new economic development pattern of 'dual-circulation' that takes the domestic market as the mainstay while domestic and foreign markets complement each other. Comac will strive to integrate into the global civil aviation market, and adapt to the global operation philosophy, management philosophy and operating environment, so as to accelerate our construction of a world-class aviation enterprise," said Zhang Xiaoguang, director of Comac Marketing Committee.

The ARJ21 is a self-developed short- and medium-range regional airliner with a range of 2,225-3,700 kilometres, featuring outstanding high-temperature resistance, cross-wind resistance and night flight operation performance. These characteristics will make it competitive in island-dotted Indonesia, where the broad market potential for regional aviation is still to be explored. ARJ21 can well meet the demand of branch routes from central cities to surrounding small and medium-sized cities, according to Comac.

"To our company, the management team, including all specialists, it's full of enthusiasm, anticipation and confidence in ARJ21-700. Everyone is ready to meet her on the scene in Jakarta," said Shazam, captain of TransNusa.