Since Chinese-produced ARJ21 made its overseas commercial flight debut with Indonesian airline TransNusa one year ago, the regional jetliner has demonstrated improved performance in the Southeast Asian market.
Over the past year, TransNusa has acquired two ARJ21s from Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China, Ltd. (COMAC) and operated them on six routes. The planes have accumulated 3,560 safe flight hours and transported nearly 120,000 passengers.
The success of ARJ21 marks a significant achievement under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) in the burgeoning relationship between China and Indonesia.
In Indonesia, airports often have limited facilities and short and narrow runways, but ARJ21 adapts well to these conditions.
TransNusa Vice President Leo Budiman called it “a remarkable success” and a breakthrough for ARJ21 when it completed a chartered flight from Jakarta to Morowali, where the airport’s runway was narrow and short.
Wu Guofang, vice president of COMAC Shanghai Aircraft Customer Service Co., Ltd., told Xinhua that ARJ21 was designed to adapt to high temperatures and high humidity, well suited to climate in Indonesia and other Southeast Asian countries.