China's homegrown C919, ARJ21 commence Southeast Asian demo flights

(ECNS) -- A ceremony for demonstration flights of China's domestically produced regional jet ARJ21 and large passenger aircraft C919 in Southeast Asia was launched at Van Don International Airport in Quang Ninh Province, Vietnam, marking a new milestone for China's homegrown commercial aircraft, the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC) announced on Tuesday.

The ARJ21 will take off from Van Don International Airport on Tuesday afternoon to conduct local demonstration flights. Over the next two weeks, the ARJ21 and C919 aircraft will conduct demonstration flights in Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Malaysia, and Indonesia.

The two aircraft participating in this Southeast Asian demonstration had recently debuted at Singapore Airshow.

Over the next 20 years, the number of global civilian aircraft is expected to increase from 24,264 to 51,701, and the demand for such aircraft in the Asia-Pacific region is expected to rise from 3,314 to 9,701, according to the latest market forecast by the COMAC.

The ARJ21 regional jet has a capacity of 78-97 seats and a range of 2,225-3,700 kilometers. It boasts excellent performance in takeoff and landing at high-temperature and high-altitude airports, as well as crosswind resistance.

Since its commercial operation in June 2016, it has delivered a total of 127 aircraft and safely transported over 11 million passengers. Among them, two ARJ21 aircraft operated by Indonesia's Linyi Airlines, based in Jakarta, have opened four routes and serve five cities, safely transporting over 100,000 passengers.

The C919 large passenger aircraft boasts a capacity of 158-192 seats and a range of 4,075-5,555 kilometers. It features advanced aerodynamic design, propulsion systems, and materials, resulting in lower carbon emissions and higher fuel efficiency.

Since completing its maiden commercial flight in May 2023, the C919 has delivered four aircraft to its first customer, China Eastern Airlines, and commenced round-trip flights between Shanghai and Beijing, as well as Shanghai and Chengdu, safely transporting over 130,000 passengers.