‘Jet for century’ set to commence service in 2015
Print Edition
WITH fanfare, no doubt, China’s first domestically manufactured regional passenger jet will begin commercial operations next year.
Two ARJ21-700s, a plane often hailed as the “advanced regional jet for the 21st century,” will be delivered to Chengdu Airlines after completion of final test flights. The carrier will deploy the twin-engine, 90-seat planes on regional routes in western and northwestern China.
“It is an aircraft that meets the standards of major international aircraft makers,” said Luo Ronghuai, the head of the ARJ project at the Shanghai-based Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC).
Luo, 52, has led the ARJ project since 2007. He said he can remember every step, every detail of the development of the new plane.
“I remember waking at 5:30am on November 28, 2008, for the maiden flight of the ARJ21 in Shanghai,” he said. “My wife asked me to wear a red coat for good luck.”
It was also an unforgettable day for Zhao Peng, one of two test flight pilots on the maiden flight.
“When I about to land, my co-pilot suddenly slapped my hand on the control stick and said, ‘We succeeded!’ with tears of joy on his face,” Zhao recalled.
China began development of the ARJ21 in 2002. At that time, the aim was to fill the gap created by surging demand for smaller aircraft as airports were built to service remote areas of the nation’s west. The project was also designed to be the precursor to China’s building its own narrow body jet.
The ARJ21 will be able to land and take off at Qamdo Bangda Airport, built in China’s Tibet Autonomous Region in 1994. The airport is said to have the worst weather conditions of all the civil aviation airports in the world, and only a limited number of commercial aircraft, such as the Airbus 319, could be deployed on Tibetan routes.
The ARJ21 has been a long-haul project.
The jet was initially scheduled to be delivered around 2007, but COMAC pushed back the date several times because of delays in design, manufacture and certification processes.
“I would rather delay delivery if it ensures safety,” said COMAC Chairman Jin Zhuanglong.
Luo said the certification team initially called for 980 test flights, but that number was later expanded to 2,500 takeoffs and landings.
The delays didn’t daunt China’s determination to build a plane that could compete with global plane makers.
The regional aircraft industry has long been dominated by Canada’s Bombardier Inc and Brazil’s Embraer SA.
Indonesia began developing a 100-seat regional jet in the 1990s, but the project was scrapped after the Asian financial crisis in 1997. Japan developed a 60-seat propeller aircraft in the 1960s but ended its manufacture in 1974.
COMAC estimates that China’s ARJ21 will grab up to 60 percent of the domestic market for mid-size regional aircraft in the next 20 years, competing with Bombardier and Embraer. Beyond that, China is aiming to take on even bigger aircraft.
“Will Airbus and Boeing be under threat in the next 10 years? No,” John Leahy, chief operating officer of Airbus said at the Singapore Air Show this year.
“In 20 years? The answer is probably yes.”
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
