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Comac
- Business Type:
- Planemaker
- Date Founded:
- 2008-05-11
- CEO:
- He Dongfeng
- Headquarters Location:
- Shanghai, China
- Key Product Lines:
- Comac ARJ21, Comac C919, Comac C929
As an OTT airlines flight MU5264, operated using COMAC's ARJ21, landed at Shanghai Pudong International Airport (PVG) on Jul 12th, the ARJ21 reached an important milestone. The Chinese-built regional jet has now transported 5 million passengers since it was put into commercial operation in 2016.
According to a news report from Xinhua, China's official news agency, in the commercial aviation business, safely transporting 5 million passengers is an important milestone for an aircraft type, indicating it has been thoroughly tested by the airline and the market and it has safety and reliability have reached a certain level.
OTT airlines is a wholly-owned subsidiary of China Eastern Airlines, which will be the initial customer of COMAC's C919, an aircraft type aiming to compete with the Boeing 737 and Airbus A320. The first C919 for China Eastern (manufacturer serial number: 007) took its maiden flight on May 14th, aiming for delivery within 2022.
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ARJ21 production capacity, orders, and deliveries
It is publicly reported for the first time that COMAC has already manufactured 100 ARJ21 aircraft to date, according to Xinhua's news report.
COMAC delivered its 67th and 68th ARJ21 to Chengdu Airlines and China Southern at the end of last month. So there are at least 32 ARJ21 that already rolled off the final assembly line (FAL), waiting to be delivered.
The report also states that the production rate of ARJ21 is now reaching 50 aircraft annually.
So far, COMAC has 670 ARJ21 passenger aircraft orders and 70 ARJ21 cargo configuration orders from 20 different customers, though not all the orders are determined orders. And it has delivered 68 ARJ21 aircraft to nine different airline customers.
Expansion of operational availability
In order to expand the scope of operation, the ARJ21 aircraft completed the high-altitude flight test at Daocheng Yading Airport (DCY), the world's highest civil airport with an altitude of 4411m (14471ft) above sea level, in July 2020.
After being certified by the CAAC, the test result expanded ARJ21's flight envelope significantly, making the aircraft capable of reaching all the high-altitude airports scattered in the western part of China, a potential market for which a regional aircraft is ideally suited.
Last February, COMAC's ARJ21 obtained a validated type certificate (VTC) from the directorate general of Civil Aviation (DgCA), Indonesia's civil aviation authority. This allows the ARJ21 to be operated within Indonesia in the future.
Indonesia's carrier TransNusa will be the first foreign ARJ21 operator. Aviation enthusiasts spotted an ARJ21 with TransNusa's livery last December near Shanghai Pudong International Airport (PVG), where the COMAC ARJ21 FAL is located.
The ARJ21 serialization development
The ARJ21 family has two versions: the ARJ21STD (standard range) and ARJ21ER (extended range). Now all the ARJ21 delivered are the extended version. Additionally, the ARJ21 has a business jet configuration named CBJ (COMAC Business Jet), and it's been certified with a supplemental type certificate (STC).
According to the report, other ARJ21 variations will have other modifications, like medical-transport aircraft, which has already completed the modification; cargo configuration; configuration for emergency command; and a firefighting configuration.
Would you fly an ARJ21 if you have the chance? How many do you think it will eventually deliver? Does the ARJ21 have a future in Indonesia? Share you valuable thoughts with us in the comments.