Exactly 14 years ago today, on November 28, 2008, the Chinese-built COMAC ARJ21 Xiangfeng airliner took off from Shanghai's Dachang Airfield on its maiden flight. Plagued by delays, the first flight of the COMAC ARJ21 was supposed to have taken place in 2005. The final production of the aircraft occurred in 2006, leaving the plane well behind schedule.

As China became a manufacturing powerhouse, Chinese airlines had no choice but to look to the west for modern airliners. Unhappy that China did not build its own planes for the domestic market, the government tasked COMAC to come up a design that could compete with western offerings.

Many parts of the plane are from western manufacturers

Powered by a pair of General Electric CF34 turbofan engines, the COMAC ARJ21 also boasts a new 25-degree sweptback wing and fuel-saving winglets designed by Ukraine's Antonov Design Bureau.

The plane resembles the McDonnell Douglas MD-80/MD-90 produced under license in China. Able to accommodate as many as 90 passengers, the plane has a range of around 2,000 miles. Its main competitors are the Bombardier CRJ-900 and the Embraer E175. Even though the COMAC ARJ21 is heavily dependent on foreign-built parts like the engines and avionics, the Chinese government claims it is a totally indigenous design.

Companies that manufacture parts for the plane include:

  • The Chengdu Aircraft Industry Group builds the nose.
  • The Xi'an Aircraft Company manufactures the plane's wings and fuselage.
  • Shenyang Aircraft Corporation constructs the plane's tail.
  • General Electric: CF-34 turbofan engines
  • Rockwell Collins provides the plane's avionics
COMAC ARJ21
Photo: Getty Images

Chengdu Airlines was the launch customer

The ARJ21-700 received its Chinese Type Certification on December 30, 2014, after being tested for 5,000 flying hours. The launch customer for the airliner was Sichuan Airlines subsidiary Chengdu Airlines, which operated the plane's first commercial flight on June 28, 2016.

The aircraft took off with fare-paying passengers from Chengdu Shuangliu Airport (CTU) for a two-hour flight to Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport (SHA). During the rest of the summer, Chengdu Airlines operated three COMAC ARJ21 flights a week between Chengdu and Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport (SHA).

In July 2017, the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) certified the COMAC ARJ21 for mass production. On March 6, 2020, COMAC opened a second production line for the plane in the Pudong district of Shanghai. The facility is the same factory that builds the much larger COMAC C919 narrowbody airliner. The Pudong factory can manufacture 30 COMAC ARJ21s a year.

Air China COMAC ARJ21
Photo: Getty Images

Variants of the COMAC ARJ21 include the following aircraft:

  • The COMAC ARJ21-700: The baseline model, configured to carry between 70 and 90 passengers.
  • The COMAC ARJ21-900: A stretched version of the base model with a capacity to carry between 95 and 105 passengers.
  • The COMAC ARJ21F: A dedicated freighter version of the baseline model with the capacity to carry five LD7 containers or PIP pallets.
  • The COMAC ARJ21B: A private business jet version of the base model with a configuration to cater for 20 passengers.

As of November 2022, COMAC has built 89 ARJ21-700s. The aviation data and statistics website ch-aviation claims that of these aircraft, 42 are currently active with the following airlines:

  • China Express Airlines
  • China Southern Airlines
  • Jiangxi Airlines
  • OTT Airlines