China’s homegrown regional jetliner, the ARJ21, completed the longest commercial flight of its fledgling international career yesterday – flying from Manado, Indonesia, to Guangzhou, ECNS and the People’s Daily Online report. Indonesia’s TransNusa Airlines operated the flight.
According to the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (Comac), this was the first China-bound international flight operated by an overseas airline using a Chinese aircraft. Upon arriving at the Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport, the plane was welcomed with a water arch – a traditional honour in civil aviation.
The flight’s captain, Wu Guofang, said the plane performed excellently.
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TransNusa is initially flying thrice-weekly round trips between Manado and Guangzhou, but will up its schedule to accommodate daily round-trips from the end of November. It is the first international carrier to use the ARJ21, which is manufactured by Comac.
TransNusa has received three ARJ21 aircraft from Comac since December 2022, and is using them to fly eight different routes. Liu Wanting, president of the China Aircraft Leasing Group and the chairman of TransNusa Airlines, said that the airline planned to increase the number of international routes it flew with the ARJ21.
“The use of domestically produced ARJ21 aircraft by TransNusa Airlines is not only another milestone for domestic aircraft but also a milestone for the commercial operation of domestic civil aircraft overseas,” Liu said.
