Air China, China Eastern and China Southern have received their first COMAC ARJ21 aircraft as of June 28. Each of these small planes seats 90 passengers and indicates China’s attempt to enter the regional commercial aviation market.
The three big Chinese operators and the ARJ21
Air China, China Eastern and China Southern received their first ARJ21 aircraft in Shanghai on Sunday. These planes were incredibly special to COMAC, which stands for the China Commercial Aircraft Corporation.
So far, the ARJ21 has only flown for smaller regional airlines. Now, with these three major carriers adopting them, the ARJ21s will gain some international prominence with the major airlines flying in China. Furthermore, it is most likely that a decent number of foreign passengers may end up connecting to destinations in China aboard these aircraft.
In an advertisement seen by Simple Flying, the manufacturer announced that all three aircraft have an economical 90-seat configuration. Air China, China Eastern, and China Southern are anticipated to take three ARJ21s this year.
The three airlines announced simultaneous orders for 35 ARJ21 aircraft on August 30, 2019. The deals were valued at more than $ 1.3 billion each, based on a price of $ 38 million per aircraft. Although, carriers probably received a decent discount on the plane.
Air China
Since December, Air China has been working to integrate the ARJ21 into its fleet. Adding a new type of aircraft comes with its own additional challenges. Airlines must prepare pilots for type training, set up maintenance for the type, and ensure logistics is in place to get the plane into commercial revenue service smoothly.
According to the statement, Air China hopes to use ARJ21 to expand its route network. Much of this is likely due to smaller regional destinations in China that are currently either neglected or not on Air China’s current roadmap. Depending on the aircraft configuration, Air China will likely avoid putting this aircraft on key domestic links where there would be intense competition and commercial demand.
New subsidiary of China Eastern
China Eastern established OTT Airlines, a subsidiary that was created for the express purpose of flying Chinese-made aircraft. Along with the ARJ21, the airline will also operate another COMAC aircraft, the C919.
Based at Shanghai Hongqiao Airport, the plane will not promote much power to China Pudong-based main operations in Shanghai, which is also where COMAC maintains an ARJ21 production line. Instead, these aircraft will help complement national routes and operations.
On June 28, CEAir’s subsidiary OTT Airlines received the first ARJ21-700 aircraft developed in China. With CEAir’s support, OTT Airlines will fully demonstrate the ARJ21’s quality of safety and advanced design in operation, providing passengers with a comfortable flight experience. pic.twitter.com/2jJxWqd8v8
– China Eastern Airlines (@CEAirglobal) June 28, 2020
South China Airlines
Like Air China and China Eastern, China Southern has worked to ensure a smooth induction of ARJ21 into the airline’s fleet. According to COMAC, China Southern has completed preparations for pilot and flight attendant training.
As for where these planes will fly, the airline is looking at Guangzhou, where China Southern has its largest hub and extensive operations. In the early days of ARJ21 service, this will help support reliable operations and help the carrier understand the best ways to operate the aircraft.
Will airlines outside of China buy the ARJ21?
Regional aviation worldwide is dominated by the Embraer E170 series, the Bombardier Canadair Regional Jet series, the Dash 8 turboprop series and the ATR line of turboprops. In this space, there is some ongoing development. Mitsubishi is working on a regional jet; Embraer has his E-2 and is studying a new turboprop.
The competition is there. However, it is not clear if COMAC has a competitive advantage. For Chinese airlines, buying domestically produced aircraft helps improve the plane’s international standing. The three major Chinese airlines were the highest profile customers for the plane so far.
Exiting the Chinese market will require a lot of work from COMAC. Airlines must consider issues such as support systems, production lead times, and aircraft reliability. Sometimes choosing new planes for their cost has not worked for some carriers, like Interjet and its Sukhoi Superjet debacle.
The ARJ21 took its first flight in 2008. Since then, the aircraft has not had a high-profile presence. Already in operation with local airlines such as Chengdu Airlines and Genghis Khan Airlines, the aircraft has not had the same impact as when entering service as the Airbus A220.
Adding a new rate is expensive for airlines, and many are not currently looking to diversify their fleet. This is what works against COMAC in the current sphere. However, there may be some room for growth as East Asia, especially China, begins to see an uptick in travel.
COMAC believes that as ARJ21 enters a more extensive commercial service, it will promote China’s civil aviation sphere. While that may be true in China, getting major airlines in the US, Europe and Australia to sign the aircraft type will be a difficult task.
Much of this will also depend on international certification. Although the ARJ21 is certified by the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), it does not have the approval of the United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), which could limit the potential of the aircraft if other regulatory agencies do not either. certify the aircraft.
What role would the ARJ21 occupy?
The ARJ21, which bears striking similarity to the MD series aircraft, is a regional jet that seats 90 aircraft. COMAC announces that the aircraft can be combined and operated on both major trunk routes and regional operations that make it suitable for “China’s national conditions”.
The 90-seat aircraft market is currently dominated by the Embraer E-2 series and Airbus A220. Even then, that market isn’t as big as the one occupied by the Airbus A320 and Boeing 737 families. COMAC could be creative when it comes to finding markets outside of China for the A220.
A potential continent for the jet would include Africa. The air market is growing and there is room for new airlines to join. At Boeing, Airbus and Embraer, none of these manufacturers has established customer bases in the region. If COMAC insures customers here, it could open the door for additional orders and give the plane an international position.
While delivering the first ARJ21s to China’s largest airlines is a step forward, COMAC still has a lot of work to do to make the rate acceptable to international customers.
Are you a fan of COMAC ARJ21? Are you going to fly in an ARJ21 that operates under the big three Chinese airlines? Let us know in the comments!
