A photo taken on Nov 6, 2018, shows an ARJ21-700 jetliner manufacutued by COMAC at an aviation expo in Zhuhai, Guangdong province. [Photo/IC]

An ARJ21-700 jetliner departed Nantong Xingdong International Airport to Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport on Dec 29, 2018, on its delivery flight to Chengdu Airlines. 

The delivery is the 10th ARJ21-700 aircraft manufactured by the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China Ltd (COMAC) to be delivered to the Sichuan-based firm.

Chengdu Airlines has developed a comprehensive regional route network in recent years, creating a need for short-range aircraft that can now be filled by a domestic aircraft manufacturer. 

The ARJ21-700 is a domestically-developed regional jetliner able to accommodate up to 90 passengers. The first ARJ21-700 was delivered to Chengdu Airlines on Nov 29, 2015, with the company using the aircraft to fly to cities such as Changsha, Hefei, Shangrao, Shanghai, Wenzhou, Zhoushan, Jinan and Harbin. The aircraft have so far clocked up 8,000 hours of flight time and transported over 230,000 passengers.

COMAC and China Aircraft Maintenance & Engineering Co signed an agreement regarding ARJ21’s test flights and delivery on July 16, 2017, designating Nantong Airport Industrial Park as a delivery destination. 

Nantong is the only delivery destination for COMAC’s airplanes apart from Shanghai, said Pan Jianhua, Nantong’s vice-mayor, at the delivery ceremony.

The industrial park’s managers intend to promote further cooperation with COMAC, in areas such as maintenance and interior decoration, benefiting the aviation industry in both Shanghai and Nantong.