China’s COMAC ARJ21 begins commercial flights in Indonesia with TransNusa

COMAC ARJ21 made its commercial debut in Indonesia with TransNusa, a local airline.
Phuong D. Nguyen / Shutterstock.com

Indonesia-based TransNusa has begun commercial operations with the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC) ARJ21, the Chinese-built regional jet. 

TransNusa, which is the first, and so far, the only, foreign operator to have taken delivery of the COMAC ARJ21, began carrying passengers with the aircraft, registered as PK-TJA, on April 18, 2023. The regional jet departed on flight 8B5112 between Jakarta Soekarno Hatta International Airport (CGK) and Denpasar Ngurah Rai International Airport (DPS), Bali, Indonesia, at 1:13 PM local time (UTC +7), arriving at DPS at 3:42 PM local time (UTC +7). 

“The successful flight in Indonesia marks a new stride that ARJ21 in the international market,” Wu Yongliang, deputy general manager of COMAC, was quoted as saying by China News Service (CNS). 

TransNusa took delivery of the ARJ21 on December 20, 2022, becoming the first foreign operator to fly COMAC’s first commercial aircraft. Configured in an all-economy class layout, the regional jet has 95 seats, with the Indonesian low-cost carrier scheduled to take 29 more aircraft of the type by 2026. The airline also has 30 additional options for the regional jet. 

According to the manufacturer, as of March 18, 2023, the ARJ21 has accumulated over 200,000 flight hours, while the aircraft carried five million passengers in 2022. Per ch-aviation.com data, there are 90 currently active ARJ21s operating in China with nine airlines, excluding COMAC which uses six units as testbeds. 

Seating between 78 and 97 passengers, the ARJ21 has a range of between 2,225 and 3,700 kilometers (1382.5 and 2299 miles). The Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) certified the aircraft in December 2014, with Chengdu Airlines becoming the first commercial operator of the type on June 28, 2016. 

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