China’s COMAC ARJ21 begins commercial flights with TransNusa

TransNusa, an Indonesia-based airline, has commenced commercial operations using the COMAC ARJ21, a Chinese-built regional jet, making it the first and only foreign operator to have received delivery of the aircraft.

The ARJ21, registered as PK-TJA, took its inaugural flight on April 18, 2023, between Jakarta Soekarno Hatta International Airport and Denpasar Ngurah Rai International Airport in Bali, Indonesia. Wu Yongliang, the deputy general manager of COMAC, hailed the event as a significant milestone for the ARJ21 in the international market. TransNusa configured the all-economy class regional jet with 95 seats and plans to acquire an additional 29 units by 2026, with 30 more options for the aircraft.

The manufacturer reported that the ARJ21 has flown over 200,000 hours and transported five million passengers as of March 18, 2023. The CAAC certified the ARJ21 in December 2014, with Chengdu Airlines becoming the first commercial operator on June 28, 2016.