The ARJ21, a regional jet developed by China with fully independent intellectual property rights, has been delivered to its first overseas customer, Indonesia's TransNusa Airlines. /CMG
China's state-owned Commercial Aviation Corp of China (COMAC) delivered its ARJ21 jet to Indonesia's TransNusa Airlines on Sunday, the company's first airliner to enter an overseas market, state media reported.
The ARJ21, developed by COMAC, is the country's first homegrown regional jet. The range of the standard ARJ21 is 2,225 km to 3,700 km, which is mainly for meeting the requirements of hub-spoke routes, which connect central cities to neighboring medium and small cities, China Media Group reported.
Although the aircraft has been flying in Chinese skies since it entered service in 2016, this is the first time it has been exported. The introduction in Indonesia will serve as a launchpad for the plane to expand its international sales.
Indonesia is one of the fastest-growing aviation markets. In terms of aircraft orders and business value, it ranks second only to China, according to data from the U.S. Department of Commerce.
The 95-economy-seat regional aircraft, emblazoned with the navy and yellow stripes of Indonesian carrier TransNusa, is well suited to Indonesia's fast-growing aviation market that services many islands.
An export certificate of airworthiness for the ARJ21. /CMG
Up to now, almost 100 ARJ21 jets have been delivered to customers. More than 300 routes have been opened to more than 100 cities, and 5.6 million passengers have been safely transported, COMAC said.
Read more:
China's first homegrown aircraft serves more than 1 million passengers